The Lady of Shalott

On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And thro' the field the road runs by
To many-tower'd Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.

Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot. Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott. "

Just a snippet of "the Lady of Shallot" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. You can read the rest here.

The castle ruins are Tintagel Castle's ruins, by the way. Quite a few folks believe the real King Arthur lived in Tintagel.

The painting is of the Lady of Shallot, the subject of the poem. This painting inspired the costume and row boat in the movie version of "The Lady of Shallot'. The website for the movie is here.