The Lady Of Shalott by Lord Alfred Tennyson. Stephen Darrell Smith & Dan Smith - The Great Glen. - Brian Cox.mp3

[00:01.46]PART I
[00:01.82]
[00:02.23]On either side the river lie
[00:02.94]Long fields of barley and of rye,
[00:05.18]That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
[00:07.30]And thro' the field the road runs by
[00:09.46]To many-tower'd Camelot;
[00:11.89]And up and down the people go,
[00:13.68]Gazing where the lilies blow
[00:15.53]Round an island there below,
[00:17.72]The island of Shalott.
[00:19.91]
[00:20.42]Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
[00:21.86]Little breezes dusk and shiver
[00:23.47]Thro' the wave that runs for ever
[00:26.17]By the island in the river
[00:28.48]Flowing down to Camelot.
[00:30.47]Four gray walls, and four gray towers,
[00:32.70]Overlook a space of flowers,
[00:34.45]And the silent isle imbowers
[00:37.61]The Lady of Shalott.
[00:39.33]
[00:39.89]By the margin, willow-veil'd
[00:41.64]Slide the heavy barges trail'd
[00:43.54]By slow horses; and unhail'd
[00:45.69]The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd
[00:48.70]Skimming down to Camelot:
[00:50.41]But who hath seen her wave her hand?
[00:53.00]Or at the casement seen her stand?
[00:55.15]Or is she known in all the land,
[00:57.66]The Lady of Shalott?
[00:59.60]
[01:00.16]Only reapers, reaping early
[01:02.00]In among the bearded barley,
[01:03.30]Hear a song that echoes cheerly
[01:05.37]From the river winding clearly,
[01:07.43]Down to tower'd Camelot:
[01:09.96]And by the moon the reaper weary,
[01:11.75]Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
[01:14.50]Listening, whispers "'Tis the fairy
[01:17.27]Lady of Shalott".
[01:17.96]
[01:18.49]PART II
[01:19.21]
[01:20.15]There she weaves by night and day
[01:22.60]A magic web with colours gay.
[01:23.89]She has heard a whisper say,
[01:25.93]A curse is on her if she stay
[01:28.30]To look down to Camelot.
[01:29.95]She knows not what the 'curse' may be,
[01:32.20]And so she weaveth steadily,
[01:34.57]And little other care hath she,
[01:37.00]The Lady of Shalott.
[01:38.14]
[01:39.60]And moving thro' a mirror clear
[01:40.94]That hangs before her all the year,
[01:42.63]Shadows of the world appear.
[01:44.90]There she sees the highway near
[01:47.80]Winding down to Camelot:
[01:49.10]There the river eddy whirls,
[01:50.64]And there the surly village-churls,
[01:52.99]And the red cloaks of market girls,
[01:55.40]Pass onward from Shalott.
[01:56.27]
[01:57.79]Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
[02:00.65]An abbot on an ambling pad,
[02:02.21]Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,
[02:04.74]Or long-hair'd page in crimson clad,
[02:07.63]Goes by to tower'd Camelot;
[02:08.71]
[02:10.43]And sometimes thro' the mirror blue
[02:12.62]The knights come riding two and two:
[02:15.40]She hath no loyal knight and true,
[02:17.98]The Lady of Shalott.
[02:18.56]
[02:20.42]But in her web she still delights
[02:22.66]To weave the mirror's magic sights,
[02:25.38]For often thro' the silent nights
[02:27.18]A funeral, with plumes and lights,
[02:29.18]And music, went to Camelot:
[02:31.56]Or when the moon was overhead,
[02:33.56]Came two young lovers lately wed;
[02:36.47]"I am half-sick of shadows," said
[02:40.80]The Lady of Shalott.
[02:40.62]
[02:41.19]PART III
[02:41.78]
[02:42.42]A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
[02:44.23]He rode between the barley sheaves,
[02:45.93]The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
[02:48.40]And flamed upon the brazen greaves
[02:50.71]Of bold Sir Lancelot.
[02:52.89]A redcross knight for ever kneel'd
[02:55.40]To a lady in his shield,
[02:56.72]That sparkled on the yellow field,
[02:58.97]Beside remote Shalott.
[02:59.80]
[03:00.99]The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,
[03:02.43]Like to some branch of stars we see
[03:04.93]Hung in the golden Galaxy.
[03:06.60]The bridle bells rang merrily
[03:09.14]As he rode down to Camelot:
[03:11.34]And from his blazon'd baldric slung
[03:13.90]A mighty silver bugle hung,
[03:14.94]And as he rode his armour rung,
[03:17.22]Beside remote Shalott.
[03:18.10]
[03:19.75]All in the blue unclouded weather
[03:21.81]Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather,
[03:24.50]The helmet and the helmet-feather
[03:26.10]Burn'd like one burning flame together,
[03:29.46]As he rode down to Camelot.
[03:32.10]As often thro' the purple night,
[03:33.76]Below the starry clusters bright,
[03:35.95]Some bearded meteor, burning bright,
[03:38.49]Moves over still Shalott.
[03:38.97]
[03:41.40]His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
[03:43.54]On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
[03:45.84]From underneath his helmet flow'd
[03:47.64]His coal-black curls as on he rode,
[03:50.90]As he rode down to Camelot.
[03:52.56]From the bank and from the river
[03:54.50]He flashed into the crystal mirror,
[03:56.10]"Tirra lirra," by the river
[03:57.51]Sang Sir Lancelot.
[03:57.89]
[04:00.50]She left the web, she left the loom;
[04:02.17]She made three paces thro' the room,
[04:04.77]She saw the water-lily bloom,
[04:06.82]She saw the helmet and the plume,
[04:09.18]She look'd down to Camelot.
[04:11.64]Out flew the web and floated wide;
[04:14.26]The mirror crack'd from side to side;
[04:17.13]"The curse is come upon me," cried
[04:19.55]The Lady of Shalott.
[04:20.31]
[04:20.63]PART IV
[04:21.20]
[04:21.58]In the stormy east-wind straining,
[04:23.23]The pale yellow woods were waning,
[04:25.00]The broad stream in his banks complaining,
[04:27.31]Heavily the low sky raining
[04:29.59]Over tower'd Camelot;
[04:31.31]Down she came and found a boat
[04:33.58]Beneath a willow left afloat,
[04:35.32]And round about the prow she wrote
[04:38.25]'The Lady of Shalott.'
[04:40.20]And down the river's dim expanse--
[04:41.83]Like some bold seёr in a trance,
[04:43.95]Seeing all his own mischance--
[04:46.12]With a glassy countenance
[04:47.72]Did she look to Camelot.
[04:49.83]And at the closing of the day
[04:51.29]She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
[04:53.73]The broad stream bore her far away,
[04:56.91]The Lady of Shalott.
[04:57.70]
[04:59.20]Lying, robed in snowy white
[05:00.90]That loosely flew to left and right--
[05:03.30]The leaves upon her falling light--
[05:05.20]Thro' the noises of the night
[05:06.42]She floated down to Camelot;
[05:08.37]And as the boat-head wound along
[05:10.90]The willowy hills and fields among,
[05:12.29]They heard her singing her last song,
[05:15.74]The Lady of Shalott.
[05:16.36]
[05:17.88]Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
[05:20.51]Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
[05:22.95]Till her blood was frozen slowly,
[05:25.73]And her eyes were darken'd wholly,
[05:28.48]Turn'd to tower'd Camelot;
[05:31.11]For ere she reach'd upon the tide
[05:33.52]The first house by the water-side,
[05:35.99]Singing in her song she died,
[05:40.17]The Lady of Shalott.
[05:40.90]
[05:42.72]Under tower and balcony,
[05:44.62]By garden-wall and gallery,
[05:46.43]A gleaming shape she floated by,
[05:48.69]Dead-pale between the houses high,
[05:51.51]Silent into Camelot.
[05:53.66]Out upon the wharfs they came,
[05:55.72]Knight and burgher, lord and dame,
[05:58.59]And round the prow they read her name,
[06:01.69]'The Lady of Shalott'
[06:04.42]Who is this? And what is here?
[06:07.34]And in the lighted palace near
[06:09.25]Died the sound of royal cheer;
[06:11.44]And they cross'd themselves for fear,
[06:13.61]All the knights at Camelot:
[06:16.37]But Lancelot mused a little space;
[06:19.58]He said, "She has a lovely face;
[06:23.51]God in his mercy lend her grace,
[06:27.19]The Lady of Shalott".