THE LADY OF SHALOTT. PART I. N either side the river lie Long fields of barley and of rye, That clothe the wold and meet the sky; And thro' the field the road runs by To many-tower'd Camelot ; And up and down the people go, The island of Shalott. Willows whiten, aspens quiver, By the island in the river. Flowing down to Camelot. Four gray walls, and four gray towers, And the silent isle imbowers The Lady of Shalott. By the margin, willow-veil'd, The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd Skimming down to Camelot : But who hath seen her wave her hand? Or at the casement seen her stand? Or is she known in all the land, The Lady of Shalott? Only reapers, reaping early Down to tower'd Camelot : 66 THER PART II. HERE she weaves by night and day 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 thro' a mirror clear That hangs before her all the year, Winding down to Camelot : There the river eddy whirls, Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, Goes by to tower'd Camelot ; And sometimes thro' the mirror blue But in her web she still delights And music, went to Camelot : A PART III. BOW-SHOT from her bower-eaves, A redcross knight for ever kneel'd That sparkled on the yellow field, The gemmy bridle glitter'd free, Hung in the golden Galaxy. The bridle bells rang merrily As he rode down to Camelot : And from his blazon'd baldric slung All in the blue unclouded weather As often thro' the purple night, Below the starry clusters bright, His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd; On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode ; From underneath his helmet flow'd As he rode down to Camelot. Sang Sir Lancelot. She left the web, she left the loom, She saw the helmet and the plume, She look'd down to Camelot. Out flew the web and floated wide; PART IV. N the stormy east-wind straining, IN The pale yellow woods were waning, The broad stream in his banks complaining, Heavily the low sky raining Over tower'd Camelot ; Down she came and found a boat Beneath a willow left afloat, And round about the prow she wrote And down the river's dim expanse · Like some bold seër in a trance, |