開始著手閱讀英國傳奇文學
於是接觸亞瑟王素材的 Arthurian Legend
第一個認識的是 The Mist of Avalon 
一個軟蘊的女聲訴說的動人故事
以女性角度詮釋充滿男性主義的故事 


其實 Arthurian Romance 的範圍很廣
而且不同時代都有人以這個素材創作
不論是文學 藝術 還是音樂
維多利亞時代的桂冠詩人丁尼生Alfred, Lord Tennyson 
以溫柔的角度寫下十二段故事組成的敘事長詩<<Idylls of the King>>（國王牧歌) 
與The Mists of Avalon有異曲同工之妙
同樣捨棄以男性人物為著重描寫對象
其中更有五篇完完全全描寫女性人物
為故事中有血有淚的女性發聲
詩篇第七段Lancelot and Elaine中
單戀圓桌武士藍斯洛並為其殉情的女子伊蓮Elaine of Astolat (The Fair Maid of Astolat)
其實就是丁尼生另一個典型維多利亞時代風格敘事詩的主角 Lady of Shalott
這首優美的敘事詩就叫 <<The Lady of Shalott >>


與Idylls of the King中伊蓮的故事不太一樣
<<The Lady of Shalott>>有著濃濃的神話色彩
Lady of Shalott住在卡美洛宮廷上游的孤島
她受到詛咒
如果面對真實的世界就會死去 
所以她只能藉著塔樓上從鏡子裡反映的光影看著外面的世界
她把看到的場景織成掛毯  邊織邊歌唱
一天
當圓桌騎士中最出色的藍斯洛（Lancelot）的身影在鏡子中出現
Lady of Shalott愛上了藍斯洛
再也不甘心像以往那樣遠遠打量這個世界
她厭倦了只有陰影的世界
她回頭向窗外的活生生藍斯洛望去
鏡子碎了
她知道她的厄運已經到來。 


但她下定決心要去卡美洛找藍斯洛
她找來一條小船 船身寫著自己的名字
把親手編織的美麗掛毯鋪在船上
鬆開纜繩 躺了下來
唱著生命中最後的歌
任由小船順流向下游的卡美洛
Lady of Shalott越靠近所愛的人
越像死亡靠近一步
直到生命沒入死亡
她依然沒能活著到達卡美洛
終於
小船載著冰冷的她到達卡美洛
卡美洛所有騎士議論紛紛
俊美而毫不知情的藍斯洛嘆道
"啊 她有一張美麗的臉
願上帝的憐憫賜與她恩惠"
The Lady of Shalott


<<The Lady of Shalott>>


PartI


On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the world and meet the sky;
And through the field the road runs by
To many-towered Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.


Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.


By the margin, willow-veiled,
Slide the heavy barges trailed
By slow horses; and unhailed
The shallop flitteth silken-sailed
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?


Only reapers, reaping early
In among the bearded barley,
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly,
Down to towered Camelot:
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers "'Tis the fairy
Lady of Shalott."


Part II


There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.


And moving through a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot:
There the river eddy whirls,
And there the surly village-churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.


Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
An abbot on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,
Or long-haired page in crimson clad,
Goes by to towered Camelot;
And sometimes through the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.


But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often through the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed;
"I am half sick of shadows," said
The Lady of Shalott.


Part III


A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley-sheaves,
The sun came dazzling through the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneeled
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.


The gemmy bridle glittered free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy.
The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Camelot:
And from his blazoned baldric slung
A mighty silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his armour rung,
Beside remote Shalott.


All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick-jewelled shone the saddle-leather,
The helmet and the helmet-feather
Burned like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot.
As often through the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Shalott.


His broad clear brow in sunlight glowed;
On burnished hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flowed
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flashed into the crystal mirror,
"Tirra lirra," by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.


She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces through the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She looked down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror cracked from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.


Part IV


In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining,
Heavily the low sky raining
Over towered Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And round about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.


And down the river's dim expanse,
Like some bold seer in a trance
Seeing all his own mischance,
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.


Lying, robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right -
The leaves upon her falling light -
Through the noises of the night
She floated down to Camelot:
And as the boat-head wound along
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard her singing her last song,
The Lady of Shalott.


Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turned to towered Camelot.
For ere she reached upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.


Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.


Who is this? and what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they crossed themselves for fear,
All the knights at Camelot:
But Lancelot mused a little space;
He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."



好美的故事
故事的結局令人潸然淚下
夏洛特淑女為了追逐愛情
捨棄生命只為換得迷人的藍斯洛一瞥
而終究終究
藍斯洛不明白她為愛犧牲的心
只淡淡的說了一句"她有一張美麗的臉"
有人說丁尼生寫下這樣的詩
是為了表達維多利亞時期對科學的狂熱及對藝術的不尊重
沒有人瞭解藝術
認為藝術是無用的
不能帶給人們任何利益與進步
正如同沒人查覺得到Lady of Shalott的存在一樣
"But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand? 
Or is she known in all the land, 
The Lady of Shalott?"
鏡子及掛毯是藝術
Lady of Shalott像是藝術家本身
當藝術家試圖轉向這個世界
發現他無法在這個物質的世界裡生存
最後藝術家只能孤單的漂在河流上
懷著一身才華抑鬱而終
有人看到了也許只會讚嘆她表面的美貌
而從來不知道她美麗外表下
那顆盼望被認同 被了解的心

<<The Lady of Shalott>>的光影感與色彩濃烈
唯美主義畫家承襲拉斐爾前派影響
他們偏愛以中世紀傳奇故事為題材
著重光影對比
主角多為英勇的騎士 癡情的貴婦
上演一個個不被祝福的宮廷愛情
憂鬱但卻激情
除了<<The Lady of Shalott>>
還有Keats(濟慈)的敘事歌謠<<La Belle Dame sans Merci>> (無情的妖女)
以及莎士比亞悲劇Hamlet(哈姆雷特)中
因愛人殺了自己父親而發瘋的Ophelia(奧菲莉亞)
都是一個又一個愛情悲劇
維多利亞時代道德規範嚴謹
這類為愛情放棄一切的女子
滿足了男性的自我幻想
於是成了那個時代被歌頌美化的對象


以<<The Lady of Shalott>>為創作的藝術作品很多
John William Waterhouse除了我放在文章開頭那幅外
還有兩幅分別以不同場景描寫夏洛特淑女

The Lady of Shalott (1894) by John William Waterhouse

The original is in the City Art Gallery, Leeds