On either side of the river lie Long fields of barley and of rye That clothe the world and meet the sky And through 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 Through the wave that runs forever By the island in the river Flowing down to Camelot Four gray walls and four grey towers Overlook a space of flowers And the silent isle embowers 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 towered Camelot And by the moon, the reaper weary Piling sheaves in uplands airy Listening, whispers, "'Tis the fairy The Lady of Shalott" 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 To look down to Camelot She knows not what the curse may be And so she weaveth steadily Little other care hath she The Lady of Shalott And moving through a mirror clear There hangs before her all the year Shadows of the world appear There she sees the highway near Winding down to Camelot And sometimes through 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 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 "I'm half sick of shadows," she said The Lady of Shalott A bow shot from her bower-eaves He rode between the barley sheaves The sun came dazzling through the leaves 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 Beside remote Shalott His broad clear brow in sunlight glowed
On burnished hooves his war-horse trode From underneath his helmet flowed His coal-black curls as on he rode As he rode back to Camelot And 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 through 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 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 gla**y countenance She looked 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 'Til 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 waterside 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 And 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 The knights at Camelot Lancelot mused a little space He said, "She has a lovely face God in His mercy lend her grace The Lady of Shalott"