Poetry · Chapter
Song: The Stranger Lighted from His Steed explained
A stranger arrives on horseback, takes the lady's hand and kisses it unheard, then kisses her lips in the hall, and finally leads her hand in hand into the bower where her lord's roses bloom.
What happens
A stranger arrives on horseback, takes the lady's hand and kisses it unheard, then kisses her lips in the hall, and finally leads her hand in hand into the bower where her lord's roses bloom. The lady's maid receives a scarf, a ring, and a kiss before the stranger departs on his palfrey.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Loss
The secret, unheard kisses and the lady's willing retreat with the stranger suggest a clandestine love affair.
Sorrow and Melancholy
The lady's maid receives tokens and a kiss as the stranger leaves, hinting at loss and the fleeting nature of the encounter.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator describes the stranger's actions and the lady's response.
- La Belle Dame Sans Mercy
The lady whose hand and lips are kissed by the stranger, and who goes hand in hand with him into the bower.
Key passages
“The stranger lighted from his steed, And ere he spake a word, He seiz’d my lady’s lily hand, And kiss’d it all unheard.”
The stranger dismounted from his horse and, without speaking, took the lady's pale hand and kissed it secretly.
The stranger's silent, intimate gesture establishes the clandestine tone of the poem.
“The stranger walk’d into the bower,— But my lady first did go,— Ay hand in hand into the bower, Where my Lord’s roses blow.”
The stranger entered the private garden room, but the lady preceded him; they went together hand in hand into the bower where her husband's roses bloom.
The lady's willing participation and the mention of 'my Lord's roses' underscore the transgression against her husband.
“My lady’s maid had a silken scarf, And a golden ring had she, And a kiss from the stranger, as off he went Again on his palfrey.”
The lady's maid received a silk scarf, a gold ring, and a kiss from the stranger as he mounted his horse and rode away.
The stranger's gifts to the maid and his departure suggest a casual or transactional nature to the encounter.