# Vietnam Travel Stories

“For The Fallen” – Laurence Binyon in 1914

Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen is one of the most well-known war memorial poems, written to honor British soldiers who lost their lives in World War I. First published in The Times on 21 September 1914, the poem continues to be recited at remembrance ceremonies worldwide, including Australia and New Zealand.

Author - Laurence Binyon

Robert Laurence Binyon (1869–1943) was an English poet, historian, and art scholar best known for his war poem For the Fallen (1914). Born in Lancaster, he worked at the British Museum, specializing in Asian art. Though too old to enlist in World War I, he volunteered as a medical orderly in France.

After the war, Binyon continued his work in art history, focusing on East Asian and Italian Renaissance art. He became the Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum and later lectured at Oxford and Harvard. In his later years, he wrote plays, translations, and poetry, often exploring themes of spirituality and human suffering. He passed away in 1943 in Reading, England, leaving behind a literary and scholarly legacy.

Writing of "For the Fallen"

For the Fallen was written by Laurence Binyon in September 1914, shortly after the outbreak of World War I. At the time, British forces had suffered heavy losses in the early battles, particularly during the retreat from Mons in August. Deeply moved by the sacrifices of the soldiers, Binyon composed the poem while overlooking the cliffs between Pentire Point and The Rumps in Cornwall, England.

The poem was first published in The Times on 21 September 1914, before the full scale of the war’s devastation was realized. It expresses sorrow for the fallen soldiers while honoring their courage and sacrifice. The fourth stanza, known as the Ode of Remembrance, has since become a central part of memorial services in many Commonwealth countries.

That’s why we can easily see this poem in many military memorials, for example, the ANZAC Day of Australia and New Zealand, or the 2RAR Memorial Nui Dat in Vietnam.

Content of the poem

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free. (1–4)

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears. (5–8)

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted:
They fell with their faces to the foe. (9–12)

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. (13–16)

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England’s foam. (17–20)

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night; (21–24)

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain. (25–28)

Analysis

The poem For the Fallen reflects themes of patriotism, sacrifice, and remembrance. For each stanza:

1st stanza: Binyon describes Britain as a grieving mother mourning her fallen soldiers, who fought and died for the cause of freedom.
2nd stanza: The stanza presents war as solemn and majestic, comparing death to celestial music and emphasizing its noble sacrifice.
3rd stanza: This stanza highlights the bravery of young soldiers, referencing their march into battle, particularly at the Battle of the Marne. It portrays them as strong, fearless, and determined.
4th stanza (Ode of Remembrance): The most famous stanza, written first, declares that the fallen will never age and will always be remembered. A debate exists over whether “condemn” should have been “contemn,” but “condemn” appeared in the original 1914 publication. The line “Age shall not weary them” resembles a phrase from Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra.
5th stanza: Binyon expresses sorrow for the soldiers who will never return home, sit at familiar tables, or laugh with friends again
6th stanza: This stanza suggests that even in death, the soldiers remain deeply connected to their homeland, as if their spirits still exist among their people.
7th stanza: The final stanza compares the fallen soldiers to stars, shining eternally in the sky. It symbolizes their lasting legacy and how they will always be remembered as heroes.