The Charge Of The Light Brigade

A mentioned in a post recently Tennyson recently, in one of her posts. I came across him by accident almost (not having studied him at school). One of my visits to my Nan co-incided with a bun-fight (jumble sale) at her sheltered accommodation, I was searching through the books (even at 11 I was always into books) and saw a battered 1897 copy of Tennyson's poems. I spent the princely sum of 10p for this treasure only to see my Mum roll her eyes at my purchase. I enjoyed reading some of the poems more than others, but my particular favourite was :

Memorializing Events in the Battle of Balaclava, October 25, 1854
Written 1854 Alfred, Lord Tennyson (illustration by Richard Caton Woodville 1825-1855)

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 dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd & 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.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack & Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke,
Shatter'd & sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!