The Charge of the Light Brigade

Stanza I

¹Half a league, half a league,

²Half a league onward,

³All in the valley of Death

⁴Rode the six hundred.

⁵'Forward, the Light Brigade!

⁶Charge for the guns!' he said:

⁷Into the valley of Death

⁸Rode the six hundred.

Stanza II

⁹'Forward, the Light Brigade!'

¹⁰Was there a man dismay'd?

¹¹Not tho' the soldier knew

¹²Some one had blunder'd:

¹³Theirs not to make reply,

¹⁴Theirs not to reason why,

¹⁵Theirs but to do and die:

¹⁶Into the valley of Death

¹⁷Rode the six hundred.

Stanza III

¹⁸Cannon to right of them,

¹⁹Cannon to left of them,

²⁰Cannon in front of them

²¹Volley'd and thunder'd;

²²Storm'd at with shot and shell,

²³Boldly they rode and well,

²⁴Into the jaws of Death,

²⁵Into the mouth of Hell

²⁶Rode the six hundred.

Stanza IV

²⁷Flash'd all their sabres bare,

²⁸Flash'd as they turn'd in air

²⁹Sabring the gunners there,

³⁰Charging an army, while

³¹All the world wonder'd:

³²Plunged in the battery-smoke

³³Right thro' the line they broke;

³⁴Cossack and Russian

³⁵Reel'd from the sabre-stroke

³⁶Shatter'd and sunder'd.

³⁷Then they rode back, but not

³⁸Not the six hundred.

Stanza V

³⁹Cannon to right of them,

⁴⁰Cannon to left of them,

⁴¹Cannon behind them

⁴²Volley'd and thunder'd;

⁴³Storm'd at with shot and shell,

⁴⁴While horse and hero fell,

⁴⁵They that had fought so well

⁴⁶Came thro' the jaws of Death,

⁴⁷Back from the mouth of Hell,

⁴⁸All that was left of them,

⁴⁹Left of six hundred.

Stanza VI

⁵⁰When can their glory fade?

⁵¹O the wild charge they made!

⁵²All the world wonder'd.

⁵³Honour the charge they made!

⁵⁴Honour the Light Brigade,

⁵⁵Noble six hundred!