Alfred Tennyson: The Lady of Shallot

And day and night she is all year
The pattern is magical.
She whispered the darkness of adversity,
Kohl throwing weave, will start to look
To the towers of Camelot.
She does not know the meaning of the curse,
She has been at work for many days,
She has no more important worries
The Lady of Shallot.

The ballad "The Lady of Shalott" ("The Lady of Shalott", 1833/1842) by the English poet Alfred Tennyson (1809 - 1892) is based on the cycle of legends about King Arthur. The image of the Lady of Shallot is inspired by one of the heroines of Arturiana - the maiden Elaine of Astolat, in love with the knight Lancelot. A curse has been put on the beautiful maiden - a prisoner of the castle, she is doomed to continuously weave and observe the world only in the reflection of her mirror.
The fatal, twilight atmosphere of the ballad is skillfully conveyed by the English illustrator Charles Keeping (1924 - 1988).
Charles Keeping's expressive and sensuous drawings have opened a new chapter in illustration for children's and young adults' books and have won several professional awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal, which is awarded annually to the best illustrators of children's books. In 2005, Kiping's illustrations for the poem "The Robber" by the English poet Alfred Noyes were named among the top ten winning works of this competition in the entire 50-year history of its existence. Keeping was also a master lithographer, and his work is included in many collections, including that of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Author: Alfred Tennyson

Illustrations: Charles Keeping

Translation: Alexander Lukyanov

Pages: 32 (design paper). Soft cover

Dimensions: 280x213x5mm