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La Belle Dame sans Merci
John Keats
'O WHAT can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge is wither'd from the lake,
And no birds sing.
'O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,5
So haggard and so woe-begone?
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 cheeks 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 bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She look'd at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.20
'I set her on my pacing steed
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sideways would she lean, and sing
A faery's song.
'She found me roots of relish sweet,25
And honey wild and manna dew,
And sure in language strange she said,
"I love thee true!"
'She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she wept and sigh'd fill sore;30
And there I shut her wild, wild eyes
With kisses four.
'And there she lullèd me asleep,
And there I dream'd—Ah! woe betide!
The latest dream I ever dream'd35
On the cold hill's side.
'I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried—"La belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!"40
'I saw their starved lips in the gloam
With horrid warning gapèd wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill's side.
'And this is why I sojourn here45
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is wither'd from the lake,
And no birds sing.'
Question
'I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried—"La belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!"
What is the connotative effect of the word pale, which is repeated so frequently throughout this poem?
Responses
A It describes the color of the knight's skin accurately--he has a fair complexion.It describes the color of the knight's skin accurately--he has a fair complexion.
B It suggests a purity and innocence on behalf of the Knight and his beautiful lady.It suggests a purity and innocence on behalf of the Knight and his beautiful lady.
C It emphasizes the old age of the Knight and other characters mentioned in the poem.It emphasizes the old age of the Knight and other characters mentioned in the poem.
D It conveys the sickly, fear-drenched, and weakened atmosphere surrounding the knight.It conveys the sickly, fear-drenched, and weakened atmosphere surrounding the knight.
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1 answer
The correct response is:
D) It conveys the sickly, fear-drenched, and weakened atmosphere surrounding the knight.
The repetition of the word "pale" throughout the poem evokes a sense of weakness, despair, and a haunting atmosphere, reflecting the knight's emotional and psychological state as well as the presence of death among the characters he encounters.
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