AmblesideOnline Poetry Anthology Volume Four: Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Emily Dickinson, William Wordsworth

by Donna-Jean A. Breckenridge (Editor), Lynn Bruce (Editor), Wendi Capehart (Editor)

“The thing is,” Charlotte Mason said in a book she wrote for children, “to keep your eye upon words and wait to feel their force and beauty; and, when words are so fit that no other words can be put in their places, so few that none can be left out without spoiling the sense, and so fresh and musical that they delight you, then you may be sure that you are reading Literature, whether in prose or poetry. A great deal of delightful literature can be recognised only by this test.” (Ourselves Book I)

This book contains a selection of poems carefully chosen for the use of students using the AmblesideOnline Curriculum, Year Four, but enjoyable for those of all ages. In addition, we have included our own biographical and teaching notes.

These are not just poems: they are friends who touched our hearts, made us smile, helped us see the world in a new way, helped us give words to what we were already seeing.

Genres: Poetry

140 pages, Paperback

Published August 31, 2021

Reviews

[ladydusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the Tennyson in particular.

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this while organizing and realized we didn’t finish the last 6 poems in the book from last year so we did that in morning time on Monday. Really enjoyed this selection of poetry.

[Jean Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Just finished the Tennyson Section. I'm so thankful to have these Ambleside online anthologies - they make our daily poetry reading easier!

Poem memorized (still working on it)
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!

My favorite line: boldly they rode and well

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful year of recitation and wonder for my year 1, 2 and 4! We enjoyed and basked in the goodness of three of the volumes Ambleside has compiled for poetry and we are grateful for the wealth!!