THE LADY OF SHALOT—BY ALFRED TENNYSON-P-9

As often through the purple night, 
Below the starry clusters bright, 
Some bearded meteor, trailing light, 
Moves over still Shalott.

• Just for a little icing on the cake, the speaker compares Lancelot's feathered helmet to a shooting star, with a tail ("bearded") that lights up the night sky.

His broad clear brow in sunlight glowed; 
On burnished hooves his war-horse trode;

• A few more lines describing the studly Lancelot: his forehead glows in the sunlight (which is apparently supposed to be sexy). His horse's hooves are polished ("burnished") and bright.

From underneath his helmet flowed 
His coal-black curls as on he rode, 
As he rode down to Camelot.

• He's even got great hair ("coal-black curls"), which flows out of his helmet. You should really be thinking of a movie star by now, some unbelievably cool, well-dressed dude. Shmoop won't pick one for you, since we don't know your type, but you get the idea, right?

From the bank and from the river 
He flashed into the crystal mirror,

• Now he shows up in the Lady's "crystal mirror." She finally sees this superman we've already heard so much about, and we have to believe she's impressed.

"Tirra lirra," by the river 
Sang Sir Lancelot.

• Lancelot is singing a song as he trots along, and we get a little snatch of it, just the words "Tirra Lirra."
• This may be a reference to Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale (Act 4, Scene 3) where one of the characters sings a song about "The lark, that tirra-lirra chants." It's probably also just a nonsense word from an old song, like "hey nonny nonny" or "sha la la." It's important, however, because it echoes the Lady's singing from earlier in the poem.