La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad
John Keats
1795 to 1821
How to Play Cloze Games
A cloze game is a reading comprehension activity where certain words are removed from a text and you need to fill in the blanks with the correct words. This helps improve vocabulary, reading comprehension, and understanding of context.
Type In Mode
In this mode, you can:
- Type your answers directly into the blank spaces
- Get instant feedback as you type - correct answers show green, incorrect show red
- Use the keyboard for faster input and navigation
- Submit answers to check your overall progress
Drag & Drop Mode
Switch to Drag & Drop mode to:
- Drag words from the word bank and drop them into blank spaces
- Click on words in the bank to automatically fill blanks
- Click on blanks to select or clear them
Game Features
- Word Skip Selector: Choose how frequently words are removed (every 4th, 5th, 6th word, etc.)
- Progress Bar: Shows your completion percentage
- Color Feedback: Green for correct answers, red for incorrect ones
- Audio Player: Listen to the musical arrangement while you play
- Show Missing Words: View all the correct answers if you need help
- Reset Game: Start over with the same poem
- New Game: Get a different random poem
- Print Poem: Print the poem with blanks for offline practice
Winning
When you fill all the blanks correctly, you'll see a congratulations message and confetti animation! The progress bar will show 100% completion.
Tips
- Read the entire poem first to understand the context
- Look for grammatical clues (verb tense, articles, etc.)
- Use the audio player to hear the rhythm and flow
- Start with easier word skip settings (like every 8th word) and work your way up
- Don't be afraid to use "Show Missing Words" if you get stuck!
- Try both Type In and Drag & Drop modes to see which you prefer
Missing Words
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
no birds sing.
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel’s granary is full,
And the harvest’s done.
I see a lily thy brow,
With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.
met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.
I made a garland her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
looked at me as she did love,
And sweet moan
I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong she bend, and sing
A faery’s song.
She me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, manna-dew,
And sure in language strange she said—
‘I love thee true’.
She took me to her Elfin grot,
And there she wept and sighed full sore,
there I shut her wild wild eyes
With four.
And there she lullèd me asleep,
And I dreamed—Ah! woe betide!—
The latest dream I dreamt
On the cold hill side.
I saw kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were all;
They cried—‘La Belle Dame sans Merci
Thee in thrall!’
I saw their starved lips in gloam,
With horrid warning gapèd wide,
And I and found me here,
On the cold hill’s side.
And this is why I sojourn here,
Alone palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
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