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O what
can ail thee, Knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
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O what
can ail thee, Knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrels granary is full,
And the harvest's done.
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I see
a lily on thy brow
With anguish moist and fever dew,
And on thy cheek a fading rose
Fast withereth too.
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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.
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I made
a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.
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I
sat her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sideways would she lean, and sing
A faery's song. |
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She
found me roots of relish sweet,
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 sighed full sore;
And there I shut her wild, wild eyes
With kisses four. |
And
there she lulled me asleep,
And there I dreamed - Ah! Woe betide!
The latest dream I ever dreamed
On the cold hill's side. |
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I
saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale Warriors, death-pale were they all;
Who cried - 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci
Has thee in thrall!'
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I
saw their starved lips in the gloam
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here
On the cold hill's side.
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And
this is why I sojourn here,
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
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John
Keats
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Starring
Joseph Millson, Elizabeth Jasicki & Annie Carpenter
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Adaptation,
Produced & Directed by
Jonathan Glendening.
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slow agonising death of his brother, his unrequited love for Fanny
Brawne and the relentless approach of his own death set the tone for
John Keats to write 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci'. He died aged only
26 in 1821. The haunting rhythm, the resigned serenity of the tone
fused with a tender yet stark intensity make this poem his masterpiece. |
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Jonathan
Glendening's own brother Michael died in 1995, aged 37, and faced
with the loss Jonathan diverted his pain into a filmed adaptation
of the poem. The film was made in January 1996 and was a direct
reflection of 26 year old Jonathan's mind at the time. The stark
imagery of dying tree branches that opens the film was a tribute
to the art work of Michael.
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A
classic tragic tale of passion, love and betrayal brought vividly
to life in this beautiful film
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Running
Time 6 minutes
Certificate PG
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