Talk:But I Lied Once/@comment-36.79.131.116-20170917140845/@comment-4802891-20170917142708

The white sails aren't symbolic, the boat came back with white sails in the legends. However, Iseult of the White Hands (not the first lover Tristan asked to be returned, but his actual wife, the second Iseult) lied to him : he couldn't see the ship coming and he asked his wife to tell him what it was. She said "they are black" and Tristan felt betrayed, dying of grief shortly after. And then she died of sorrow over Tristan's death.

In this CE, it is implied that, in reality, he believed himself not to be worthy of Iseult's salvation and accepted his wife's lie without questioning it. That's the answer he deeply wanted to hear.

His self-esteem was down the gutter at this point. Poor soul.