La Belle Dame sans MerciJohn 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,5So haggard and so woe-begone?The squirrel's granary is full,And the harvest 's done.'I see a lily on thy browWith anguish moist and fever dew;10And on thy cheeks a fading roseFast withereth too.''I met a lady in the meads,Full beautiful—a faery's child,Her hair was long, her foot was light,15And 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 steedAnd nothing else saw all day long,For sideways would she lean, and singA faery's song.'She found me roots of relish sweet,25And 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;30And there I shut her wild, wild eyesWith kisses four.'And there she lullèd me asleep,And there I dream'd—Ah! woe betide!The latest dream I ever dream'd35On 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 MerciHath thee in thrall!"40'I saw their starved lips in the gloamWith horrid warning gapèd wide,And I awoke and found me here,On the cold hill's side.'And this is why I sojourn here45Alone and palely loitering,Though the sedge is wither'd from the lake,And no birds sing.'QuestionWhat is the purpose of the final four stanzas?ResponsesA It symbolically mirrors the knight’s inner conflict.It symbolically mirrors the knight’s inner conflict.B The refrain echoes stanza 1, thus providing much needed unity.The refrain echoes stanza 1, thus providing much needed unity.C It allows the speaker in stanza 1 to return and provide closure.It allows the speaker in stanza 1 to return and provide closure.D The knight finally answers the question posed in the beginning of the poem.
Question
La Belle Dame sans MerciJohn 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,5So haggard and so woe-begone?The squirrel's granary is full,And the harvest 's done.'I see a lily on thy browWith anguish moist and fever dew;10And on thy cheeks a fading roseFast withereth too.''I met a lady in the meads,Full beautiful—a faery's child,Her hair was long, her foot was light,15And 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 steedAnd nothing else saw all day long,For sideways would she lean, and singA faery's song.'She found me roots of relish sweet,25And 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;30And there I shut her wild, wild eyesWith kisses four.'And there she lullèd me asleep,And there I dream'd—Ah! woe betide!The latest dream I ever dream'd35On 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 MerciHath thee in thrall!"40'I saw their starved lips in the gloamWith horrid warning gapèd wide,And I awoke and found me here,On the cold hill's side.'And this is why I sojourn here45Alone and palely loitering,Though the sedge is wither'd from the lake,And no birds sing.'QuestionWhat is the purpose of the final four stanzas?ResponsesA It symbolically mirrors the knight’s inner conflict.It symbolically mirrors the knight’s inner conflict.B The refrain echoes stanza 1, thus providing much needed unity.The refrain echoes stanza 1, thus providing much needed unity.C It allows the speaker in stanza 1 to return and provide closure.It allows the speaker in stanza 1 to return and provide closure.D The knight finally answers the question posed in the beginning of the poem.
Solution
The purpose of the final four stanzas in "La Belle Dame sans Merci" by John Keats is to provide closure to the poem. The knight finally answers the question posed at the beginning of the poem, explaining why he is alone and palely loitering. This is reflected in option D.
In the final stanzas, the knight reveals that he had a dream where he saw pale kings, princes, and warriors who warned him that "La belle Dame sans Merci Hath thee in thrall!" He woke up to find himself on the cold hill's side, which is why he is sojourning there. This revelation provides an answer to the initial question and brings the poem full circle.
Additionally, the final stanza also echoes the first stanza, providing a sense of unity to the poem. This is reflected in option B. The repetition of the phrase "Alone and palely loitering" and the imagery of the withered sedge and the silent birds tie the beginning and the end of the poem together.
So, both options B and D are correct.
Similar Questions
La Belle Dame Sans Merci - Structure
Dans ce poignant poème de Stéphane Mallarmé, la thématique du deuil et de la mémoire résonne profondément à travers les vers empreints de mélancolie et de réflexion. L'hiver sombre et les bois désolés deviennent le théâtre de la tristesse et de la solitude face à la perte d'un être cher, symbolisant la froideur de l'absence et la douleur du vide laissé par le départ. Cependant, au cœur de cette noirceur hivernale, le poète trouve des lueurs d'espoir et des éclats de souvenirs qui transcendent la mort physique pour célébrer la perpétuité de l'amour et de la mémoire.La notion de sépulcre à deux, qui sera le témoignage de l'orgueil de l'amour partagé, révèle la volonté du poète de garder vivante la flamme des souvenirs et des émotions partagées. L'image du tison, ce fragment incandescent capable d'illuminer l'ombre de l'être disparu, incarne la continuité de la présence et la chaleur des liens qui transcendent la barrière de la mort. Mallarmé célèbre ainsi la puissance de la mémoire et de la réminiscence comme des phares dans la nuit, guidant l'esprit vers des horizons intemporels où l'amour demeure éternel.La veille éternelle mentionnée dans le poème renforce l'idée de la perpétuation de la connexion spirituelle entre les vivants et les morts, soulignant la capacité des souvenirs et des pensées à tisser des liens indestructibles au-delà de la séparation physique. La répétition du nom murmuré tout au long de la soirée symbolise le pouvoir de la parole et de la reconnaissance pour maintenir la présence de l'autre vivante dans l'esprit et le cœur. Ainsi, Mallarmé invite le lecteur à une réflexion sur la nature ineffable de l'amour, de la perte et de la mémoire, soulignant la beauté et la complexité des émotions humaines qui transcendent le temps et l'espace.En conclusion, ce poème émouvant offre une méditation profonde sur la mort, le deuil et la pérennité de l'amour à travers les âges. Mallarmé nous transporte dans un univers poétique où la beauté des mots et des images révèle la fragilité de l'existence humaine, mais aussi sa grandeur et sa capacité à transcender les limites de la mortalité. En explorant la dualité de la présence et de l'absence, de la lumière et de l'ombre, le poète nous rappelle que la mémoire et l'amour sont les piliers qui soutiennent notre humanité et nous permettent de trouver du réconfort et de la sérénité dans l'écho éternel de ceux qui nous ont précédés.
RomanceRobert Louis StevensonI WILL make you brooches and toys for your delightOf bird-song at morning and star-shine at night.I will make a palace fit for you and me,Of green days in forests and blue days at sea.I will make my kitchen, and you shall keep your room,5Where white flows the river and bright blows the broom,And you shall wash your linen and keep your body whiteIn rainfall at morning and dewfall at night.And this shall be for music when no one else is near,The fine song for singing, the rare song to hear!10That only I remember, that only you admire,Of the broad road that stretches and the roadside fire.QuestionWhat tone is conveyed in this poem through the speaker's choice of words such as "delight," "palace," "white," "music," and "admire"?ResponsesA idealisticidealisticB jubilantjubilantC obsequiousobsequiousD realistic
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