And near him stood the Lady of the Lake,
Who knows a subtler magic than his own ––
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful.
She gave the King his huge cross-hilted sword,
Whereby to drive the heathen out: a mist
Of incense curled about her, and her face
Wellnigh was hidden in the minster gloom;
But there was heard among the holy hymns
A voice as of the waters, for she dwells
Down in a deep; calm, whatsoever storms
May shake the world, and when the surface rolls,
Hath power to walk the waters like our Lord.
–– Alfred Tennyson, Idylls of the King
Excalibur and the legend of Arthur, the Late Roman version.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, as usual!
ReplyDeleteI recently read Mists of Avalon, which gives a different perspective on the Lady of the Lake from the standard.
ReplyDelete