Poetry · Chapter
The White Witch explained
The poem warns younger brothers to beware of the great white witch, who appears as a beautiful young woman but is an ancient, predatory force.
What happens
The poem warns younger brothers to beware of the great white witch, who appears as a beautiful young woman but is an ancient, predatory force. The speaker recounts his own seduction and spiritual draining by her, and cautions others against her allure.
Themes in this chapter
Temptation and Fall
The white witch's seductive beauty leads to the speaker's fall and spiritual depletion.
Death and Mortality
The encounter with the witch results in the ebbing of the soul and a living death.
Love and Beauty
The witch's physical beauty and the speaker's passionate attraction are central to the poem's tension.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“The great white witch rides out to-night. Trust not your prowess nor your strength, Your only safety lies in flight;”
The dangerous seductress is active tonight; do not rely on your abilities, the only safe choice is to run away.
Establishes the witch as a predatory threat and the futility of resistance.
“For in her glance there is a snare, And in her smile there is a blight.”
Her look is a trap, and her smile brings ruin.
Highlights the deceptive danger hidden in her attractive appearance.
“Around me she has twined her arms, And bound me with her yellow hair.”
She has wrapped her arms around me and tied me up with her blonde hair.
Describes the speaker's entrapment and the witch's physical hold over him.
“I felt those red lips burn and sear My body like a living coal;”
Her red lips felt like a hot coal burning my flesh.
Emphasizes the painful, destructive nature of the witch's kiss.
“Obeyed the power of those eyes As the needle trembles to the pole;”
I was compelled by her eyes like a compass needle pointing north.
Shows the irresistible, magnetic pull of the witch's gaze.
“And did not care although I felt The strength go ebbing from my soul.”
I was indifferent even as I felt my spiritual strength draining away.
Reveals the speaker's willing surrender despite the cost.