Lady of Shalott

Clipped from the video of Lady of Shalott by Loreena McKennit

So this is going to be a bit different (like much of this month will seem). The month of December is a hugely busy month in the world outside of here for me. I am working diligently to ensure that I keep you entertained at the same time. But this calls for a few work arounds to make sure I am doing my best to keep things moving forward.

This means tonights entertainment is something I find interesting but I am not really doing anything other than jabbering on for a little bit. Instead of a story from me, I am going to share a poem written a long time ago.

The old ballads were once written to be sung. We don’t really see this anymore because we assume poetry is a written and performed art solely meant to be spoken or read. But when we explore further into our histories and look at the way music comes about we will see that much of the rhythm and meter of music is played out as poetry (granted there is a bit of the modern music that I have my doubts about but that is something else entirely).

The Lady of Shalott is a ballad written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Written in Victorian times, the poem is loosely based on Arthurian legend and Medieval settings. In this version Loreena McKennitt adds depth and beauty to the poem by singing the lines. Add to her voice the images within the video and we have a very different way of telling a story than most of us are used to.

The video is a bit longer than you might be ready for (around 11 minutes) but well worth the listen. In fact as you find yourself with some free time you should check out Loreena McKinnet’s website and other videos on Youtube. Sure they aren’t Cthulhu Christmas Carols but they are a great way to experience stories.

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