On October 25, 1854 in the Battle of Balaklava during the Crimean War a disastrous charge of British cavalry took place, resulting in 278 casualties and 335 horses killed.
Later Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, read this eyewitness account of the charge, which was published in The Times on November 14.
It opens with these words: “If the exhibition of the most brilliant valor, of the excess of courage, and of a daring which would have reflected luster on the best days of chivalry can afford full consolation for the disaster of today, we can have no reason to regret the melancholy loss which we sustained in a contest with a savage and barbarian enemy.”
Tennyson then penned the famous poem “Charge of the Light Brigade,” whose first stanza reads:
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Charge,” was the captain’s cry;
Their’s not to reason why,
Their’s not to make reply,
Their’s but to do and die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
You can read the full text here.
If you take a look at the first draft of “The Charge of the Light Brigade” (featured in the “Romantics and Victorians” collection on The British Library website) you can see how many changes it underwent before publication in The Examiner on December, 9, 1854.
Tennyson changed the poem up to twenty times, and the galley proof with notes in his handwriting shows that he was still making changes until the point of publication.
Finally, here in the upper left-hand corner you see the published version of the poem.
I hope you’ll take some time this Remembrance Day to think on the many soldiers who have given their lives in battle.
You might also enjoy my review of three Remembrance Day picture books for different ages.
(Image at the top of the post: “The Relief of the Light Brigade, 25 October 1854.” Oil on canvas by Richard Caton Woodville (1856-1927), 1897. Copyright National Army Museum, London.)
Following the superb creative mind as he works out a poem is very
Interesting indeed
Yes! And I love seeing handwritten manuscripts.
“if the exhibition of the most brilliant valor, of the excess of courage, and of a daring which would have reflected luster on the best days of chivalry can afford full consolation for the disaster today, we can have no reason to regret the melancholy loss which we sustained in a contest with a savage and barbarian enemy”
can you summarise this pls
@nishat The reporter is saying, if courage can make up for the disaster that took place, then there is no reason to regret what happened. Hope that helps!
if courage can make up for the disaster that took place, then there is no reason to regret what happened.
can you tell me what the author is implying in regards to the sacrifice the men have made?
“if the exhibition of the most brilliant valor, of the excess of courage, and of a daring which would have reflected luster on the best days of chivalry can afford full consolation for the disaster today, we can have no reason to regret the melancholy loss which we sustained in a contest with a savage and barbarian enemy”
can you tell me what the author is implying in regards to the sacrifice the men have made
@nishat I’m not sure exactly what you are asking. I think the author is arguing that the great courage of the men should be honoured, even though they died tragically.