We have changed our privacy policy. In addition, we use cookies on our website for various purposes. By continuing on our website, you consent to our use of cookies. You can learn about our practices by reading our privacy policy.

La Belle Dame Sans Merci Abandonment Quotes

How we cite our quotes: I cite by line number only.

Quote #1

O what can ail thee, knight at arms,
Alone and palely loitering? (lines 1-2)

The opening image of the poem is the knight looking "pale" and "ail[ing]" while hanging out "alone." Clearly, this guy doesn't want to be alone. Even that opening syllable, "O" suggests emptiness (it looks like a zero).

Quote #2

And no birds sing. (line 4)

Even the birds have abandoned the knight. Poor guy.

Quote #3

O what can ail thee, knight at arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone? (lines 5-6)

As thought the knight needs to be reminded that he's miserable, the opening speaker repeats the same question again in the second stanza, this time commenting on the knight's "haggard" looks.