Citaten uit The Charge of the Light Brigade

9 beroemde regels uit The Charge of the Light Brigade (1854) van Alfred, Lord Tennyson, woord voor woord, met bij elke regel de betekenis en herkomst.

1 min leestijd · 55 regels

1. 1

   Half a league, half a league,
   Half a league onward,
   All in the valley of Death
   Rode the six hundred.

   Betekenis: Six hundred cavalrymen ride steadily toward a battlefield where they face almost certain death.

   NarratorStrofe 1, regels 1 tot en met 4Kopiëren
2. 2

   “Forward, the Light Brigade!
   “Charge for the guns!” he said:

   Betekenis: The officer orders the Light Brigade to advance directly toward the enemy artillery.

   Commanding officerStrofe 1, regels 5 tot en met 6Kopiëren
3. 3

   Was there a man dismay’d?
   Not tho’ the soldier knew
   Some one had blunder’d:

   Betekenis: The soldiers remain courageous even though they know someone has made a disastrous mistake.

   NarratorStrofe 2, regels 10 tot en met 12Kopiëren
4. 4

   Their’s not to make reply,
   Their’s not to reason why,
   Their’s but to do and die,

   Betekenis: The soldiers must obey their orders rather than question them, even when obedience means death.

   NarratorStrofe 2, regels 13 tot en met 15Kopiëren

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5. 5

   Cannon to right of them,
   Cannon to left of them,
   Cannon in front of them
   Volley’d and thunder’d;

   Betekenis: Enemy artillery fires fiercely at the brigade from three directions as it advances.

   NarratorStrofe 3, regels 18 tot en met 21Kopiëren
6. 6

   Into the jaws of Death,
   Into the mouth of Hell
   Rode the six hundred.

   Betekenis: The cavalrymen ride into extreme danger, pictured as monstrous mouths ready to swallow them.

   NarratorStrofe 3, regels 24 tot en met 26Kopiëren
7. 7

   Then they rode back, but not
   Not the six hundred.

   Betekenis: The brigade retreats after the attack, but losses have reduced its numbers.

   NarratorStrofe 4, regels 37 tot en met 38Kopiëren
8. 8

   When can their glory fade?
   O the wild charge they made!
   All the world wonder’d.

   Betekenis: The speaker declares that the soldiers’ extraordinary courage deserves lasting admiration.

   NarratorStrofe 6, regels 50 tot en met 52Kopiëren
9. 9

   Honour the charge they made!
   Honour the Light Brigade,
   Noble six hundred!

   Betekenis: The speaker urges everyone to honor the brigade and its soldiers for their bravery.

   NarratorStrofe 6, regels 53 tot en met 55Kopiëren

Vragen over deze regels

What does the line about not reasoning why mean in The Charge of the Light Brigade?

It describes the soldiers’ duty to obey orders without questioning them, even when they recognize a mistake. The poem honors their courage while acknowledging the failure of command.

What does the valley of Death represent in The Charge of the Light Brigade?

It represents the battlefield where the cavalry faces deadly artillery fire. The biblical echo makes the advance feel like a journey into overwhelming danger.