Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
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
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."

Alfred Tennyson

18

THE DEFENCE OF GUENEVERE

GU

UENEVERE, the wife of King Arthur, being charged with adultery and threatened with the punishment of death, speaks in her own defence.

But, knowing now that they would have her speak,
She threw her wet hair backward from her brow,
Her hand close to her mouth touching her cheek,

As though she had had there a shameful blow,
And feeling it shameful to feel aught but shame
All through her heart, yet felt her cheek burned so,

She must a little touch it; like one lame
She walked away from Gauwaine, with her head
Still lifted up; and on her cheek of flame

The tears dried quick; she stopped at last and said:
"O knights and lords, it seems but little skill
To talk of well-known things past now and dead.

"God wot I ought to say, I have done ill, And pray you all forgiveness heartily!

Because you must be right, such great lords; still

"Listen, suppose your time were come to die, And you were quite alone and very weak; Yea, laid a dying while very mightily

"The wind was ruffling up the narrow streak
Of river through your broad lands running well:
Suppose a hush should come, then some one speak:

"One of these cloths is heaven, and one is hell,
Now choose one cloth for ever; which they be,
I will not tell you, you must somehow tell

'Of your own strength and mightiness; here, see!' Yea, yea, my lord, and you to ope your eyes, At foot of your familiar bed to see

"A great God's angel standing, with such dyes,
Not known on earth, on his great wings, and hands,
Held out two ways, light from the inner skies

"Showing him well, and making his commands. Seem to be God's commands, moreover, too, Holding within his hands the cloths on wands;

"And one of these strange choosing cloths was blue, Wavy and long, and one cut short and red;

No man could tell the better of the two.

"After a shivering half-hour you said:

'God help! heaven's color, the blue'; and he said, ‘hell.' Perhaps you would then roll upon your bed,

"And cry to all good men that loved you well,
'Ah Christ! if only I had known, known, known';
Launcelot went away, then I could tell,

"Like wisest man how all things would be, moan,
And roll and hurt myself, and long to die,
And yet fear much to die for what was sown.

"Nevertheless you, O Sir Gauwaine, lie,

Whatever may have happened through these years, God knows I speak truth, saying that you lie."

Her voice was low at first, being full of tears,
But as it cleared, it grew full loud and shrill,
Growing a windy shriek in all men's ears,

A ringing in their startled brains, until
She said that Gauwaine lied, then her voice sunk,
And her great eyes began to fill,

Though still she stood right up, and never shrunk,
But spoke on bravely, glorious lady fair!
Whatever tears her full lips may have drunk,

She stood, and seemed to think, and wrung her hair,
Spoke out at last with no more trace of shame,
With passionate twisting of her body there:

'It chanced upon a day that Launcelot came
To dwell at Arthur's court: at Christmastime
This happened; when the heralds sung his name,

'Son of King Ban of Benwick' seemed to chime Along with all the bells that rang that day, D'er the white roofs, with little change of rhyme,

Christmas and whitened winter passed away,
ind over me the April sunshine came,
Made very awful with black hail-clouds, yea

"And in the summer I grew white with flame, And bowed my head down: autumn, and the sick Sure knowledge things would never be the same,

"However often spring might be most thick
Of blossoms and buds, smote on me, and I grew
Careless of most things, let the clock tick, tick,

"To my unhappy pulse, that beat right through
My eager body; while I laughed out loud,
And let my lips curl up at false or true,

"Seemed cold and shallow without any cloud. Behold, my judges, then the cloths were brought; While I was dizzied thus, old thoughts would crowd,

"Belonging to the time ere I was bought By Arthur's great name and his little love; Must I give up for ever then, I thought,

"That which I deemed would ever round me move,

Glorifying all things; for a little word,

Scarce ever meant at all, must I now prove

"Stone-cold for ever? Pray you, does the Lord Will that all folks should be quite happy and good? I love God now a little, if this cord

"Were broken, once for all what striving could Make me love anything in earth or heaven? So day by day it grew, as if one should