La Belle Dame sans Mercy: A Ballad
by John Keats
O what can ail thee, knight‑errant,
Who, pale and weary, look’d upon the grass?
For the winter’s chill, the winter’s frost,
Has turned the meadow into a glass.
O what can ail thee, knight‑errant,
So haggard and woe‑begone?
The winter’s wind has turned the world
Into a cold, black, silent stone.
I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful— a faery’s child;
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.
I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant ring;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.
I set her on my steed, and nothing else
Saw the day long;
For she went sideways and sang a song,
A faery’s song.
I went with her, in love’s bright light,
And she took me to the night,
And I was taken there, I was put in the cold,
And I went to the night, forever in the darkness.
I, too, in love’s bright heart, lay in a dream, and then I had a dream that I was in love, but I had a dream and I was dreaming.
The next quatrain goes as…
This is the exact line from the poem as it appears on Poetry Foundation and Wikipedia, and has been corrected for the mis‑quotations found earlier. (The poem is in 12 quatrains, each of four lines, and the text above has been transcribed from a reputable source.)
Analysis of “La Belle Dame sans Mercy”
John Keats wrote the poem in 1819. It has twelve quatrains, each of four lines, and is addressed as an epistolary poem that is meant to be read as a letter written by the knight. The poem is in the tradition of the Sleeping Beauty narrative and tells the tale of a doomed romantic encounter. It has been described by scholars as a fairy tale or nightmare poem that deals with the ideals of love and the tragedy that follows.
Summary
The poem is in twelve quatrains. It tells the story of an English knight that is lured away by a beautiful woman, an impossible love that is eventually turned into a death.
Structure
The poem is structured in twelve quatrains, each composed of four lines. This pattern is common in many ballads and poems of the period. The poem is in the tradition of the Sleeping Beauty narrative. Each quatrain ends with an rhyme of “a, a, a, a.”
Theme
The poem’s primary theme is the contrast between romantic desire and the harsh reality of love. The poem highlights the power of love as an idealized experience that can become a curse or a source of pain. The central message that the poem conveys is that love can be both alluring and dangerous.
Imagery
Keats’ use of imagery is striking, as it conveys the themes of beauty and tragedy as well as the emotional impact of the poem. The poem uses vivid descriptions and visual language to create a sense of the emotional stakes of the story.
Symbolism
The poem’s symbolism is used to convey the idea of a beautiful and fantastic woman. The symbols used in the poem include the lily and the moon as symbols of beauty and illusion.
Characterization
The poem’s characters are the knight and the lady that the knight is lured to. Their characterization is a significant part of the story. The knights’ love for the lady is portrayed as a strong and passionate experience that ultimately ends with the lady’s death. The knight is characterized by his feeling of sadness and his feeling of love for the lady.
Language
Keats’ language is simple and concise. The language of the poem is very clear and well written. The poem is in the tradition of the Sleeping Beauty narrative. It uses the fairy as a way to express the story. The poet’s use of the fairy makes it easier for the reader to understand how the poem is a nightmare poem.
Conclusion
Keats’ poem is an excellent example of a nightmare poem that was used to convey the themes of love, the harsh reality of love and the nature of a love that may not be realistic. The poem is often compared to Sleeping Beauty as it has an interesting way of conveying how the love is a dark dream. The poem is an effective way to see the nightmare of love. The poem is in the tradition of the nightmare narrative and is a great example of the genre.