April 3, 2009

• Someone Else’s Poem a Day

  This is one that I had Matthew memorize when he was in sixth grade.  It was kind of fun listening to him recite after he had finished memorizing and had learned what it was about.       The Charge of the Light Brigade

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  I.

  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.

  
   

  II.

  ‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
  Was there a man dismay’d?
  Not tho’ the soldier knew
     Some one had blunder’d:
  Their’s not to make reply,
  Their’s not to reason why,
  Their’s but to do and die:
  Into the valley of Death
     Rode the six hundred.

  
   

  III.

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

  
   

  IV.

  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 and Russian
  Reel’d from the sabre-stroke
     Shatter’d and sunder’d.
  Then they rode back, but not
     Not the six hundred.

  
   

  V.

  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 and 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.

  
   

  VI.

  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!
   

  • 4:43 am
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