The Lady of Shalott

image: The Lady of Shalott, by John William Waterhouse (1888)


(excerpts from) The Lady of Shalott (1842)
Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)

Part I
1On either side the river lie
2Long fields of barley and of rye,
3That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
4And thro' the field the road runs by
5 To many-tower'd Camelot;
6And up and down the people go,
7Gazing where the lilies blow
8Round an island there below,
9 The island of Shalott.


24But who hath seen her wave her hand?
25Or at the casement seen her stand?
26Or is she known in all the land,
27 The Lady of Shalott?

28Only reapers, reaping early
29In among the bearded barley,
30Hear a song that echoes cheerly
31From the river winding clearly,
32 Down to tower'd Camelot:
33And by the moon the reaper weary,
34Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
35Listening, whispers " 'Tis the fairy
36 Lady of Shalott."

Part II
37There she weaves by night and day
38A magic web with colours gay.
39She has heard a whisper say,
40A curse is on her if she stay
41 To look down to Camelot.
42She knows not what the curse may be,
43And so she weaveth steadily,
44And little other care hath she,
45 The Lady of Shalott.

46And moving thro' a mirror clear
47That hangs before her all the year,
48Shadows of the world appear.
49There she sees the highway near
50 Winding down to Camelot:

60And sometimes thro' the mirror blue
61The knights come riding two and two:
62She hath no loyal knight and true,
63 The Lady of Shalott.



64But in her web she still delights
65To weave the mirror's magic sights,
66For often thro' the silent nights
67A funeral, with plumes and lights
68 And music, went to Camelot:

69Or when the moon was overhead,
70Came two young lovers lately wed:
71"I am half sick of shadows," said
72 The Lady of Shalott.

Part III
73A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
74He rode between the barley-sheaves,
75The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
76And flamed upon the brazen greaves
77 Of bold Sir Lancelot.
78A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd
79To a lady in his shield,
80That sparkled on the yellow field,
81 Beside remote Shalott.


104 As he rode down to Camelot
105From the bank and from the river
106He flash'd into the crystal mirror,
107"Tirra lirra," by the river
108 Sang Sir Lancelot.

109 She left the web, she left the loom,
110 She made three paces thro' the room,
111 She saw the water-lily bloom,
112 She saw the helmet and the plume,
113 She look'd down to Camelot.
114 Out flew the web and floated wide;
115 The mirror crack'd from side to side;
116 "The curse is come upon me," cried
117 The Lady of Shalott.



123 So down she came and found a boat
124Beneath a willow left afloat,
125And round about the prow she wrote
126 "The Lady of Shalott."

127And down the river's dim expanse
128Like some bold seër in a trance,
129Seeing all his own mischance--
130With a glassy countenance
131 Did she look to Camelot.
132And at the closing of the day
133She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
134The broad stream bore her far away,
135 The Lady of Shalott.

141And as the boat-head wound along
142The willowy hills and fields among,
143They heard her singing her last song,
144 The Lady of Shalott.

145Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
146Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
147Till her blood was frozen slowly,
148And her eyes were darken'd wholly,
149 Turn'd to tower'd Camelot.
150For ere she reach'd upon the tide
151The first house by the water-side,
152Singing in her song she died,
153 The Lady of Shalott.


163Who is this? and what is here?
164And in the lighted palace near
165Died the sound of royal cheer;
166And they cross'd themselves for fear,
167 All the knights at Camelot:
168But Lancelot mused a little space;
169He said, "She has a lovely face;
170God in his mercy lend her grace,
171 The Lady of Shalott."





Live performance of The Lady of Shalott by Loreena McKinnit at the Juno Awards