History & Politics
Cavalry Charge at Balaclava
From The Poetical Works, ed. John Nichol (1875), vol. 1
Traveller on foreign ground, whoe'er thou art,
Tell the great tidings! They went down that day
A Legion, and came back from victory
Two hundred men and Glory! On the mart
Is this 'to lose?' Yet, Stranger, thou shalt say
These were our common Britons. ''Tis our way
In England. Aye, ye heavens! I saw them part
The Death-Sea as an English dog leaps o'er
The rocks into the ocean. He goes in
Thick as a lion, and he comes out thin
As a starved wolf; but lo! he brings to shore
A life above his own, which when his heart
Bursts with that final effort, from the stones
Springs up and builds a temple o'er his bones.
Cite this poem
MLA
Dobell, Sydney. “Cavalry Charge at Balaclava.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/dobell/19/.
Chicago
Dobell, Sydney. “Cavalry Charge at Balaclava.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/dobell/19/.
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