From "The Lady of Shalott." Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892). Poems of Fancy: III. Mythical: Mystical: Legendary. Bliss Carman, et al., eds. 1904. The World's Best Poetry. VI. Fancy

Verse > Anthologies > The World’s Best Poetry > Vol. VI. Fancy: Sentiment

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Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry.
Volume VI. Fancy. 1904.

Poems of Fancy: III. Mythical: Mystical: Legendary

From “The Lady of Shalott”

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892)


PART I. ON either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky,
And through the field the roads run by
To many-towered Camelot;	5
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below—
The island of Shalott.

Willows whiten; aspens quiver;	10
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river,
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four gray walls, and four gray towers,	15
Overlook a space of flowers;
And the silent isle imbowers
The lady of Shalott.

By the margin, willow-veiled,
Slide the heavy barges, trailed	20
By slow horses; and, unhailed,
The shallop flitteth, silken-sailed,
Skimming down to Camelot;
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?	25
Or is she known in all the land—
The lady of Shalott?

Only reapers, reaping early
In among the bearded barley,
Hear a song that echoes cheerly	30
From the river, winding clearly
Down to towered Camelot;
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers, “’T is the fairy	35
Lady of Shalott.”

PART II. There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colors gay.
She has heard a whisper say
A curse is on her if she stay	40
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be;
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she—
The lady of Shalott.	45

And moving through a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near,
Winding down to Camelot;	50
There the river eddy whirls;
And there the surly village-churls,
And the red cloaks of market-girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.

Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,	55
An abbot on an ambling pad—
Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,
Or long-haired page, in crimson clad,
Goes by to towered Camelot:
And sometimes through the mirror blue	60
The knights come riding, two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true—
The lady of Shalott.

But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror’s magic sights;	65
For often, through the silent nights,
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot;
Or, when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed;	70
“I am half sick of shadows,” said
The lady of Shalott.

PART III. A bow-shot from her bower-eaves
He rode between the barley-sheaves;
The sun came dazzling through the leaves,	75
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneeled
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,	80
Beside remote Shalott.

The gemmy bridle glittered free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden galaxy.
The bridle-bells rang merrily,	85
As he rode down to Camelot;
And, from his blazoned baldric slung,
A mighty silver bugle hung;
And as he rode his armor rung,
Beside remote Shalott.	90

All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick-jewelled shone the saddle-leather;
The helmet and the helmet-feather
Burned like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot:	95
As often, through the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Shalott.

His broad clear brow in sunlight glowed;	100
On burnished hooves his war-horse trode:
From underneath his helmet flowed
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river	105
He flashed into the crystal mirror:
“Tirra lirra,” by the river,
Sang Sir Lancelot.

She left the web, she left the loom;
She made three paces through the room;	110
She saw the water-lily bloom;
She saw the helmet and the plume;
She looked down to Camelot;
Out flew the web, and floated wide;
The mirror cracked from side to side;	115
“The curse is come upon me!” cried
The lady of Shalott.

PART IV. In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning—
The broad stream in the banks complaining,	120
Heavily the low sky raining
Over towered Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat,
Beneath a willow left afloat;
And round about the prow she wrote,	125
The lady of Shalott.

And down the river’s dim expanse—
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance—
With a glassy countenance	130
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away—
The lady of Shalott.	135

Lying robed in snowy white,
That loosely flew to left and right—
The leaves upon her falling light—
Through the noises of the night
She floated down to Camelot;	140
And as the boat-head wound along,
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard her singing her last song—
The lady of Shalott—

Heard a carol, mournful, holy,	145
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly—
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turned to towered Camelot;
For ere she reached, upon the tide,	150
The first house by the water-side,
Singing, in her song she died—
The lady of Shalott.

Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,	155
A gleaming shape, she floated by—
A corse between the houses high—
Silent, into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame;	160
And round the prow they read her name—
The lady of Shalott.

Who is this? and what is here?
And in the royal palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;	165
And they crossed themselves for fear—
All the knights at Camelot;
But Lancelot mused a little space:
He said, “She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace—	170
The lady of Shalott!”

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