The Charge Of The Light Brigade - A poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Alfred Lord Tennyson - The Charge Of The Light Brigade

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
  Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
  Rode the six hundred.

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismayed?
Not tho' the soldiers knew
  Someone had blundered:
Theirs was not to make reply,
Theirs was not to reason why,
Theirs was but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
  Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to the right of them,
Cannon to the left of them,
Cannon in front of them
  Volleyed and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell,
  Rode the six hundred.

Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air,
Sab'ring the gunners there,
Charging and army, while
  All the world wondered:
Plunging in the battery smoke,
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre-stroke
  Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not--
  Not the six hundred.

Cannon to the right of them,
Cannon to the left of them,
Cannon in front of them
  Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that fought so well,
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
  Left of the six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
Oh, the wild charge they made!
  All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
  Noble Six Hundred!

Added: on September 22nd, 2005 at 11:34 PM | Viewed: 6367 times | Comments (8)

The Charge Of The Light Brigade - Comments and Information
Poet: Alfred Lord Tennyson Poem: The Charge Of The Light Brigade Year: Published/Written in 1854 Comment 8 of 8, added on June 15th, 2006 at 10:46 AM. I do agree with the criticisms posted, in that Tennyson has clearly romanticised the realities of war. He suggests that war is honourable and does glorify it to some extent, without having actually taken part. However, I would argue that this is the job of a poet or writer; to embelish the truth and to write about events that we may not be present for, or indeed, never took place at all. One of the main components a poet needs to capture is feeling and passion in a poem, and in this instance Tennyson un-doubtedly succeeds. Lauren from United Kingdom Comment 7 of 8, added on May 26th, 2006 at 11:41 AM. Yep - I agree with Robert Burns - this poem embodies Owen's sentiments in Dulce et Decorum est. The poem glorifies war and unquestioning dedication to a nationalist cause, something which the war poets showed to be specious and, personally, I cannot help but balk at such a jingoistic attitude. I think it is telling that 2 of the most enthusiastic comments here come from American's.... Anne Comment 6 of 8, added on September 22nd, 2005 at 11:34 PM. This poem is great if you want a romantic version of the truth written by a guy who wasn't even there. It was more like 247 that really died. War is not romantic, and this, along with a few other Tennyson poems seems to reflect his frustration at not actually being there. He's a romantic who writes about the past, and while his style is at times beautiful, its also incredibly fake - because he wasn't there. If you want poems that are about the turth of war, read some Owen... Robert Burns from United Kingdom More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, The Charge Of The Light Brigade, has received 8 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!

Poem Info
The Charge Of The Light Brigade Year: Published/Written in 1854 Last read: 2008-06-29 08:20:15 Viewed 6367 times. Added on September 22nd, 2005 at 11:34 PM.

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