One of my favorite poems is a poem called "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Here is the actual poem, but if you do not want to read it, here is a quick summary.
The Lady of Shalott is imprisoned in a tower on an island which is near a river that flows to Camelot. She is cursed, and cannot look toward Camelot, so instead, she weaves and views the world outside her window by looking in a mirror. One day, Lancelot rides by on his way to Camelot. Struck by him, she looks from her window and after him, to Camelot. The mirror breaks, and she realizes the curse is upon her, so she finds a boat, writes her name on it, and sails to Camelot. She dies, however, before she gets there and her body is discovered by a group of knights and ladies, including Lancelot.
I was listening to Loreena McKennitt's musical version of the poem, and it struck me how sad the last stanza is, specifically the second part. It says:
But Lancelot mused a little space
He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."
In a boat lies a dead woman, a woman who died so that she could see Lancelot better, and his response to seeing her is "She has a lovely face." Now, I realize, Lancelot did not know that is why she died; there is no way he could have known. I still think, though, that it is the most tragic part of a poem. The man she gave up her life for simply calls her lovely.
First, I know this is just fiction. Second, I know it is probably strange to analyze it this much, and my thoughts do not have much to do with the poem at all. It makes me remember, though...there is always something in the background going on that I do not know about. Someone might freak out when I accidentally step on their toe, but it might be because they found out their grandmother has to have surgery. A waitress might forget that I didn't want mustard on my veggie burger, but they could have been up the whole night before, because their child had a nightmare. Perhaps I dwelt on this to much, but it made me think...there is no harm in a little kindness, even if it is not "deserved." Maybe that smile you give someone is just what they need to get them through the rest of the day.
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