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CHAPEL IN LYONESS, by             Poem Explanation     Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: All day long and every day


Golden the sunlight on the rippling sand,
Golden the shadows that the trees enfold,
Purple the heather on the mountain's brow;
Silvery the ripples on the water's face
Dancing and flickering in the summer breeze.
Fair was the scene; yet midst of all its fairness
There lay a hidden shadow like a curse,
A weight upon the heart and on the mind.
A shadow on the sunny mountain slope,
A shadow on the rippling of the sand,
A shadow on the dancing of the waves,
A shadow on the beauty of the scene.
One day we wandered down a narrow vale
That opened from the mountain's sunlit slope.
We followed where the babbling brooklet led,
And soon we came upon a hidden dell
Closed in by wooded hills on every side.
Here, in the midst of this secluded spot,
We saw a chapel standing all alone,
A chapel old and grey and ivy-grown,
A chapel beautiful exceedingly.
The sunbeams played about its carven walls,
And through the open door we saw within
The glimmering light of many tapers shine.
We entered in, and there we saw displayed
A wondrous sight of beauty and of art.
The carven wood, the carven stone, the gold,
The crystal, and the sapphire clear as blood,
The silken hangings wrought with many a hue,
The jewelled chalice and the golden plate,
All these, and more, were there in profusion rare,
A treasure house of beauty and delight.
And we, forgetting all the world beside,
Sat down within the chapel's holy place,
And feasted on the good things spread for us.
We drank the wine, we ate the luscious fruits,
We marvelled at the beauty of the place,
And praised the skill of those who wrought the work.
But as we sat and feasted in delight,
A strange, cold feeling crept upon our hearts,
A sense of chill, a shudder of dismay.
And then we knew, too late, that we were caught,
Caught in the toils of some fell sorcery,
And doomed to stay forever in the chapel's hold.
The day passed by, the night came on apace,
But we were still within the chapel's walls,
Still drinking of the wine, and eating of the fruits,
Still feasting on the beauty of the place.
And as we sat and feasted, one by one
The tapers flickered out, and all was dark.
And then we knew that we were doomed to stay,
Doomed to remain forever in the chapel's hold,
Caught in the toils of some fell sorcery,
And nevermore to see the light of day.
And so we sit, and feast, and drink, and sing,
In the chapel's dark and gloomy halls,
Caught in the toils of some fell sorcery,
Doomed to remain forever in the chapel's hold.






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