Into the Valley of Death...

This is one of the poems I grew up on...the rhythm and repetitiveness are effective and part of what makes it a great classic poem. Think about it...


Charge of the Light Brigade-Alfred Lord Tennyson
"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.

“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d.
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.

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.

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.

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.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

Sometimes the best thing to do is do something and not think about how stupid it seems. There is Somebody who knows what He is doing in charge, even when it seems like a mistake.

A Poem On the Underground Wall-Simon and Garfunkel

If you listen to any song on this blog, I'd recommend this one. I think this is the best example of music merged with poetry I have ever come across, and it's by one of the kings of that craft, Paul Simon. I heard a rumor that he wrote this song about a word that appeared very shortly on the cover of Simon and Garfunkel's first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., until it was noticed and removed. The writing is simply amazing in this song. He used alliteration, rhyming, and personification. There may even some more poetic devices used in this song. Either way, it's an incredible job.

Here is the song, and below it are the lyrics. Let me know what you think.




The last train is nearly due
the underground is closing soon
in the dark deserted station
restless in anticipation
a man waits in the shadows.

His restless eyes leap and scratch
at all that they can touch or catch
hidden deep within his pocket
safe within his silent socket
he holds his colored crayon.

Now from the tunnel's stony womb
the carriage rides to meet the groom
and opens wide and welcome doors
but he hesitates then withdraws
deeper in the shadows

And the train is gone suddenly
on wheels clicking silently
like a gently tapping litany
and he holds his crayon rosary
tighter in his hand

Now from his pocket he quickly flashes
the crayon on the wall he slashes
deep upon the advertising
a single-worded poem comprised of
- four letters

And his heart is laughing, screaming, pounding
the poem across the tracks rebounding
shadowed by the exit light
his legs take their ascending flight
to seek the breast of darkness and be suckled by the night.