The Lady of Shalott part 2

Here is part 2 of Tennyson's poem, including images and definitions. (For part 1, click here.)

No time hath she to sport and play:

A charmed web she weaves alway. 

charmed is charm-ed

alway: always

painting by John William Waterhouse

A curse is on her, if she stay

Her weaving, either night or day, 

a girl weaving on a Rainbow Loom

       To look down to Camelot.

She knows not what the curse may be;

Therefore she weaveth steadily, 

Therefore no other care hath she,

       The Lady of Shalott. 

She lives with little joy or fear.

Over the water, running near,

The sheepbell tinkles in her ear. 

sheepbell: a bell worn by a sheep

Before her hangs a mirror clear,

       Reflecting tower'd Camelot.

And as the mazy web she whirls,

She sees the surly village churls,

churls: peasants

And the red cloaks of market girls

       Pass onward from Shalott.

Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,

damsels: girls

An abbot on an ambling pad, 

painting by Bermejo

 abbot: the head of an abbey of monks

ambling: walking slowly and in a relaxed way

Sometimes a curly shepherd lad, 

lad: boy

Or long-hair'd page in crimson clad,

page: attendant to a knight

in crimson clad: wearing red

       Goes by to tower'd Camelot:

And sometimes thro' the mirror blue

thro': through

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, came from Camelot:

Or when the moon was overhead

Came two young lovers lately wed;

I am half sick of shadows,' said

       The Lady of Shalott. 

On this site, there is a Lady of Shalott image that was done by a 5th grader. It's awesome. And wouldn't you know it, it's from an Ambleside school! The pictures were done as part of the UK's Power of Reading project.

One of my fourth graders asked if Shalott was a real place. Here's what I found:

Tennyson based "The Lady of Shalott" on a 13th century Italian romance titled Donna di Scalotta, based on Elaine of Astolat (or Ascolat). (Astolat is not a real place, but if you google "Astolat Great Britain map," you will discover that there is an Astolat Business Park in Surrey, an Astolat Pub, an Astolat Electrical Services, and a bus stop named The Astolat.) Tennyson didn't think "The Lady of Scalott" sounded soft and pretty, so he used Shalott instead.

Another thing my students wanted to know was how the Lady did human things like eating and sleeping and going to the bathroom if she wasn't able to stop weaving. Oh, those curses...

The Lady of Shalott part 1

I've been reading Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott" with my fourth graders, one part per week. This week, we read Part 3 - the cliffhanger! (They all wanted to know if there was a part 4 - success!) I told them they had to wait until next week. 

My students don't have exposure to rich text, so to help them understand the poem, I show them pictures and define certain words. 

 Here is Part I with images and definitions...

Part I

On either side the river lie

Long fields of barley and of rye, 

barley

rye

That clothe the wold and meet the sky; 

wold: a piece of uncultivated land, an area of hilly land in the country

And thro' the field the road runs by

       To many-tower'd Camelot; 

Camelot

The yellow-leaved waterlily

painting of waterlilies by Monet

The green-sheathed daffodilly 

daffodil

Tremble in the water chilly

       Round about Shalott.

Willows whiten, aspens shiver. 

aspens

willow tree

The sunbeam showers break and quiver

In the stream that runneth ever

By the island in the river

       Flowing down to Camelot.

Four gray walls, and four gray towers

Overlook a space of flowers,

And the silent isle imbowers 

imbowers: surrounds or shelters

       The Lady of Shalott.

painting by Waterhouse (1888)

Underneath the bearded barley,

The reaper, reaping late and early, 

hand-reaping

Hears her ever chanting cheerly,

Like an angel, singing clearly,

       O'er the stream of Camelot.

Piling the sheaves in furrows airy, 

sheaves: bundles of grain stalks tied together

Beneath the moon, the reaper weary

Listening whispers, ' 'Tis the fairy,

       Lady of Shalott.'

The little isle is all inrail'd

With a rose-fence, and overtrail'd

With roses: by the marge unhail'd 

marge: margin or edge

The shallop flitteth silken sail'd, 

 shallop: a small open boat

flitteth: moves quickly

silken sail'd: with silk sails

       Skimming down to Camelot.

A pearl garland winds her head:

She leaneth on a velvet bed,

Full royally apparelled,

       The Lady of Shalott. 

(All images are in the public domain.)
For part 2, click here. 

The Kraken

I chose Tennyson as the first poet my 4th grade class will be studying. Last week, we read "Break, Break, Break." This week, I chose "The Kraken." It's about a sea monster, and I've yet to meet a 4th grader who doesn't dig sea monsters.

The Kraken

By Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Below the thunders of the upper deep;

Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,

His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep

The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights

About his shadowy sides: above him swell

Huge sponges of millenial growth and height;

And far away into the sickly light,

From many a wondrous grot and secret cell

Unnumbered and enormous polypi

Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green.

There hath he lain for ages and will lie

Battening upon huge sea-worms in his sleep,

Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;

Then once by man and angels to be seen,

In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.

abysmal: very deep

millenial: related to a period of 1,000 years

grot: grotto, cave

polypi: polyps, a polyp is an animal with a columnar body whose mouth is on top and is surrounded by a ring of tentacles, sea anemones are polyps

painting of sea anemones (polypi) by Giacomo Merculiano

winnow: blow

battening: growing fat, feeding gluttonously

two sea-worms:

latter fire: Judgement Day