Memorising La Belle Dame sans Merci

Oh hi,

Inspired by this blogpost, I've come up with an easy method of learning La Belle Dame sans Merci. Taking this easy-to-learn poem into the exam with you (in your head) is something I regard as a non-negotiable requirement.

This method uses a mnemonic which turns the poem into a shorter poem, or six bullet points:

• The sedge, so haggard
• A lily, I met
• A garland, I set
• She found me, she took me, and there she lulled me
• I saw pale kings, their starved lips
• Sojourn

Follow these steps. (Y13 - you are probably ready to jump to step 4):

1) Read and re-read the poem.
2) Use this set of Quizlet cards.
3) Try using these prompts.

The above steps are designed to ensure that you know each stanza. 

The final steps are to ensure that you know the structure of the poem so that you can put it all together:

4) Use the powerpoint below. Go through slides 2-13 to remember the images and mnemonic.
5) Use slide 14 to practise. I'll be using this to test you later!
6) Now use slide 15. You could try building a memory palace to remember the mnemonic.

Here's the powerpoint:




Once you know it, you could try using your fingers to remind you of the 12 stanzas. In the examples below, the little finger of each hand contains two stanzas:

Give it a go.

Have a great Christmas!


Mr M