Scribd
Upload
45 views2 pages

The Eve of Waterloo: Lord Byron

The poem describes the events of the night before the Battle of Waterloo. It depicts a ball taking place in Brussels where the Belgian elite were celebrating, unaware of the impending battle. As the party continues with dancing and merriment, the sounds of cannon fire in the distance begin to be heard, signaling the start of war. The revelers are then overtaken by fear and hurry to prepare for battle as the army mobilizes through the night.

Uploaded by

dfdf
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
45 views2 pages

The Eve of Waterloo: Lord Byron

The poem describes the events of the night before the Battle of Waterloo. It depicts a ball taking place in Brussels where the Belgian elite were celebrating, unaware of the impending battle. As the party continues with dancing and merriment, the sounds of cannon fire in the distance begin to be heard, signaling the start of war. The revelers are then overtaken by fear and hurry to prepare for battle as the army mobilizes through the night.

Uploaded by

dfdf
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

The Eve of Waterloo

There was a sound of revelry by night,


And Belgium’s capital had gathered then
Her beauty and her chivalry, and bright
The lamps shone o’er fair women and brave men.
A thousand hearts beat happily; and when
Music arose with its voluptuous swell,
Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake again,
And all went merry as a marriage bell;
But hush! hark! a deep sound strikes like a rising knell!
Did ye not hear it? — No; ‘twas but the wind,
Or the car rattling o’er the stony street;
On with the dance! let joy be unconfined;
No sleep till morn, when youth and pleasure meet
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet.
But hark! — that heavy sound breaks in once more,
As if the clouds its echo would repeat;
And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before;
Arm! arm! it is — it is — the cannon’s opening roar!
Ah! then and there was hurrying to and fro,
And gathering tears, and tremblings of distress,
And cheeks all pale, which, but an hour ago,
Blushed at the praise of their own loveliness.
And there were sudden partings, such as press
The life from out young hearts, and choking sighs
Which ne’er might be repeated; who would guess
If ever more should meet those mutual eyes,
Since upon night so sweet such awful morn could rise!

And there was mounting in hot haste; the steed,


The mustering squadron, and the clattering car,
Went pouring forward with impetuous speed,
And swiftly forming in the ranks of war;
And the deep thunder, peal on peal afar;
And near, the beat of the alarming drum
Roused up the soldier ere the morning star;
While thronged the citizens with terror dumb,
Or whispering, with white lips — ‘The foe! they come! they come!’
Lord Byron
This is part one of Byron’s finest poems, ‘Childe Harold.’ It relates the events of the
night before the battle of Quatre Bras, which was fought near Brussels, the capital of
Belgium, on June 16, 1815, and was preliminary of the great battle of Waterloo, fought
two days later.
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (1788–1824), commonly known simply as Lord
Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in Romanticism.
Amongst Byron’s best-known works are the brief poems ‘She Walks in Beauty’, ‘When
We Two Parted’, and ‘So, we’ll go no more a roving’, in addition to the narrative poems
‘Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage’ and ‘Don Juan’. He is regarded as one of the greatest
British poets and remains widely read and influential, both in the English-speaking
world and beyond. He died while in Greece, fighting for Greek Independence from the
Ottoman Empire.
Other Victorian Romantic Poets whose work can be found in the Anthology include
William Wordsworth and John Keats.
You can read all of Lord Byron’s work at:
www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/b#a1708
Find out more about Lord Byron by visiting the International Byron Society website:
www.internationalbyronsociety.org

You might also like