Over half a century ago in an English literature course at Antioch College we were given an exam in which, among other things, we were asked to write an essay on a line from Alfred Lord Tennyson's epic poem "The Lady of Shalott."
Based on an Arthurian legend, this poem recites the saga of a young noblewoman consigned to spend her days locked in a tower where, using a mirror in the window of her lonely cell, she would sadly watch young lovers embracing in the shadows below.
In the very center of the poem you will find this verse:
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. |
The line we were asked to discuss in our final exam was the last one: "I am half sick of shadows said the Lady of Shalott."
Today as I watch the world go by through my window or sadly decline outings with family and friends because the pain resulting from the administrative ineptitude of University of Chicago Medicine (as well as COVID-19), this poem comes to mind.
These days, my primary daily contact with the outside world is via television. And what is television but shadows?
I am, indeed, half sick of shadows!
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| The Lady of Shallot |
Read more about this poem and its history here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_of_Shalott When done with this link, use "back" button (<) to return to this page. |