#Lord Tennyson

[the-evil-clergyman]

Illustrations from Poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (1907)

[illustratus]

Elaine, the Lily Maid of Astolat by Sophie Gengembre Anderson

[drconstellation]

The Charge of the International Express Man

As often happens, I was in the middle of something else when I thought "oh, I should check that line, it sounds familiar, actually."

"Ours is not to reason why, ours is to deliver packages."

This is from S1, 1x04. Leslie the International Delivery Express man is saying goodby to Maude on Saturday morning.

It turns out that this is a misquote of a famous poem The Charge of the Light Brigade, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It comes from the second stanza:

“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.

The poem itself describes a brave but misguided action during the Battle of Balaclava where about 670 cavalry riders charged the wrong Russian artillery battery on the field, and were summarily decimated.

So while the orders on the day were misinterpreted, and there was tragedy, its also looked upon as the tragedy of blindly following orders. Because that's the thing - good soldiers follow orders (and Aziraphale doesn't.)

Over time, the lines have been misquoted as "Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and die" and interpreted as not to question the will of the Almighty and just to accept what comes your way. But the quote has nothing to do with the Bible.

So I'm wondering, seeing as there seems to be a bit of emphasis on following orders and bringing an expected outcome about, is this a hint that orders may been misinterpreted somewhere, and everyone is charging towards the wrong target?

It also adds to all the horse symbolism we keep seeing, in both seasons.

[aneurinallday]

Lancelot and the Lady of Shalott

Bold Sir Lancelot and the Lady of Shalott

(she dies from unrequited love for a hot guy she saw for 2 seconds in the distance and decided to chase down a river. girl same)

[quotelr]

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

[thepersonalwords]

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

[skelecha1rs]

Details of the painting The Lady of Shalott, John William Waterhouse (1888)

[dk-thrive]

And Time, a maniac scattering dust, And Life, a fury slinging flame.

— Alfred, Lord Tennyson, from "In Memoriam" (HardPress, January 31, 2019)

[majestativa]

My dearest, [...] slip Into my bosom and be lost in me.

— Alfred Tennyson, My Gothic Heart, (2023)

[hildeeveraert]

Oscar Gustav Rejlander, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, with his Wife Emily and Two Sons, Hallam and Lionel, Ca 1862

[haveyoureadthispoem-poll]

"Our enemies have fall'n, have fall'n: the seed, The little seed they laugh'd at in the dark, Has risen and cleft the soil, and grown a bulk Of spanless girth, that lays on every side A thousand arms and rushes to the Sun."

Read it here | Reblog for a larger sample size!

[odetoplath]

No life that breathes with human breath Has ever truly long’d for death

— Alfred Lord Tennyson, from The Two Voices (1842)

[candle-1-1-shine]

Today's Quote

“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”

Lord Tennyson

[alliwanttodoiscollectpoetry]

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!

The Charge of the Light Brigade by Lord Alfred Tennyson

[quotelr]

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

[thepersonalwords]

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson