The Charge of the Light Brigade - Poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson

This reading of Alfred Lord Tennyson's ballad, The Charge of the Light Brigade, recounts the true story of an ill-fated cavalry charge made by British soldiers during the Crimean war.

The poem is part of the GCSE English literature syllabus for AQA power and conflict cluster. This video is designed to help students visualise the imagery and themes of the poem.

All artwork was drawn by Robert Simpson.

[glynisp]

Thank you! This is the first version I’ve found on YouTube that captures Tennyson’s rhythmic design. You can feel the horses gallop. Thank you.

[hypechillchype]

bro nobody else gets the cadence right on this one. great work, this is the best reading of charge of the light brigade I've yet heard

[richardgadberry]

I'm crying now, remembering Jim Bloggs reading this poem to Hilda as they were dying from radiation sickness.

[crabruler]

This really is just brilliant narration. A lot of the others don’t really capture the intensity of it.

[prabhatbhattachariyya]

Thank you for recording this video. It helped me a lot 😁❤

[JuanManuelPeñalba]

GOT HERE FOR THE SONG OF IRON MAIDEN ''THE TROOPER''... GREETINGS FROM ARGENTINA...

[void_god]

Beautifully narrated. What is the music in the background?

[smokingunstudios]

Would you mind if I used the audio for a edit? Not for any monetary gain and I’d give proper credit

[samsonpug]

Fantastic. This is the only rendition I have come across so far without the incorrect “cannon to the right of them”. There is no “the”

Other irritating misquotes

“Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble…”

Wrong!

“Alas poor Yorick, I knew him well!”

Wrong again!!

I’m going for a lie down.

[KshaMontano]

The Charge of the Light Brigade

By Alfred, Lord Tennyson


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 dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs 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
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed 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
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

V
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through 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 wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!