La Belle Dame sans Merci | Text of the Poem

O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
     Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has wither’d from the lake,
     And no birds sing.

O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,     5
     So haggard and so woebegone?
The squirrel’s granary is full,
     And the harvest’s done.

I see a lily on thy brow
     With anguish moist and fever dew;     10
And on thy cheek a fading rose
     Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads,
     Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,     15
     And her eyes were wild.

I made a garland for her head,
     And...

[The entire page is 301 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...