THE LADY OF SHALOTT - BY LORD TENNYSON

THE LADY OF SHALOTT

PART I

On either side of the river lie

Long fields of barley and of rye,

That clothe the world and meet the sky;

And thro' the field the road run by

To many-towered Camelot;

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,

Little breezes dusk and shiver

Thro' the wave that runs for ever

By the island in the river

Flowing down to Camelot.

Four grey walls, and four grey towers,

Overlook a space of flowers,

And the silent isle imbowers

The Lady of Shalott.

Only reapers, reaping early,

In among the bearded barley

Hear a song that echoes cheerly

From the river winding clearly

Down to tower'd Camelot;

And by the moon the reaper weary,

Piling sheaves in uplands airy,

Listening, whispers "'tis the fairy

The Lady of Shalott."

PART II

There she weaves by night and day

A magic web with colours gay,

She has heard a whisper say,

A curse is on her if she stay

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.

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;

And sometimes thro' the mirror blue

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,

For often thro' 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.

"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 thro' the leaves,

And flamed upon the brazen greaves

Of bold Sir Lancelot.

A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd

To a lady in his shield,

That sparkled on the yellow field,

Beside remote Shalott.

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;

On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;

From underneath his helmet flow'd

His coal-black curls as on he rode,

As he rode back to Camelot.

From the bank and from the river

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 taro' the room,

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;

"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 his banks complaining.

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

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

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.

Heard a carol, mournful, holy,

Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,

Till her blood was frozen slowly,

And her eyes were darkened wholly,

Turn'd to towered Camelot.

For ere she reach'd upon the tide

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,

A gleaming shape she floated by,

Dead-pale between the houses high,

Silent into Camelot.

Out upon the wharfs they came,

Knight and Burgher, Lord and Dame,

And round the prow they read her name,

The Lady of Shalott.

Who is this? And what is here?

And in the lighted palace near

Died the sound of royal cheer;

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,

The Lady of Shalott."

                                          BY LORD TENNYSON 

An introduction and occasion of the poem

This poem was first published in 1832, when Tennyson was 23 years old, in a volume called poems. Up to that point, Tennyson had received great critical acclaim and had won national awards, but the critics savagely attacked the 1832 book, mostly because of poems as “The lady of shallot” that dealt with fantasy situations instead of realistic ones. The next year, 1833, Tennyson’s best friend died, which affected the poet as greatly as would anything in his life. For a long time, during a period that later came to be known as “the ten years’ silence,” nothing of Tennyson’s was published. In 1842, a new volume, also called poems, was published, to great critical acclaim. The new book had a slightly revised version of “The Lady of Shalott,” and this version is the one that is studied today. 

Summary of the poem

The island of Shalott is situated in a river which flows down to the many-towered city of Camelot. On the island lives Lady of Shalott. Nobody has seen her waving her hand or standing at the windows. Only reapers, reaping early have heard the song of the Lady of Shalott. 

The lady of Shalott is shown as weaving a magic web day and night. If she stops waving and looks at Camelot, a curse is sure to fall on her. So she weaves constantly. There hangs a mirror before her. She sees the shadow of the world appearing in the mirror. Knights ride two and two. The lady takes delight in weaving the mirror’s magic sights. The lady sees many – a funeral procession for instance or two young lovers lately married. The lady is half sick of these shadows, and yearns for reality. 

Sir Lancelot rides down to Camelot. His bridle bells ring merrily. A silver bugle hung by his side. His armour flashes in the light. The leather of his saddle shines clearly. His brow sparkles in the sunlight. His face is reflected clearly in the mirror. He sings “Tirra Lirra’ by the river. At the sight of him the lady leaves the loom. She moves three places across the room. She sees the feather of his helmet in the mirror. The magic is gone. The mirror is broken into pieces. The curse falls on the lady. 


The lady of shallot leaves the tower. She finds a boat floating beneath a willow. She writes ‘The lady of Shalott’ on the prow. She looked towards Camelot. At the close of the day, she frees the boat and lies down in it. The stream carries her down the river. As the boat goes down in the river, people could hear the last song of the lady. She chants the song in high and low tone and slowly her blood is frozen. She dies singing. By garden-wall and gallery, she floats down pale and gleaming. Citizens came to the bank of the river and read her name of the boat. At Camelot people express their curiosity about the lady. The knights cross themselves for fear. But Lancelot thinks a bit and remarks upon her beauty and prays that god may bless her soul.