"For the Fallen" is an elegy written by English poet and playwright Laurence Binyon in 1914—shortly after the outbreak of World War I. First printed in the British newspaper The Times, the deeply patriotic poem mourns, honors, and celebrates the soldiers who died fighting for England in the war. To this day, "For the Fallen" is often recited at WWI memorial services and appears on monuments commemorating the fighting. The poem has a somber, steady rhythm appropriate to the solemnity of an elegy.
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The Full Text of “For the Fallen”
1With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
2England mourns for her dead across the sea.
3Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
4Fallen in the cause of the free.
5Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
6Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
7There is music in the midst of desolation
8And a glory that shines upon our tears.
9They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
10Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
11They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
12They fell with their faces to the foe.
13They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
14Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
15At the going down of the sun and in the morning
16We will remember them.
17They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
18They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
19They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
20They sleep beyond England's foam.
21But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
22Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
23To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
24As the stars are known to the Night;
25As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
26Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
27As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
28To the end, to the end, they remain.
The Full Text of “For the Fallen”
1With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
2England mourns for her dead across the sea.
3Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
4Fallen in the cause of the free.
5Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
6Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
7There is music in the midst of desolation
8And a glory that shines upon our tears.
9They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
10Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
11They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
12They fell with their faces to the foe.
13They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
14Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
15At the going down of the sun and in the morning
16We will remember them.
17They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
18They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
19They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
20They sleep beyond England's foam.
21But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
22Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
23To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
24As the stars are known to the Night;
25As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
26Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
27As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
28To the end, to the end, they remain.
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“For the Fallen” Summary
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“For the Fallen” Themes
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Patriotism and Sacrifice
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Immortality and Remembrance
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “For the Fallen”
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Lines 1-4
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. -
Lines 5-8
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. -
Lines 9-12
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. -
Lines 13-16
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. -
Lines 17-20
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. -
Lines 21-24
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; -
Lines 25-28
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.
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“For the Fallen” Symbols
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Stars
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“For the Fallen” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Personification
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Repetition
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Caesura
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Alliteration
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Consonance
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Assonance
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Parataxis
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Enjambment
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Simile
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Allusion
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“For the Fallen” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Thanksgiving
- August
- Spheres
- Desolation
- Limb
- Staunch
- Foe
- Weary
- Condemn
- Labour
- Foam
- Well-spring
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “For the Fallen”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“For the Fallen” Speaker
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“For the Fallen” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “For the Fallen”
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More “For the Fallen” Resources
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External Resources
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Context and Inspiration — Watch a short video on the historical context and inspiration for Binyon's poem.
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Choral Adaptation — Listen to a choral adaptation of the poem.
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"For the Fallen" Music Video — Watch a music video adaptation of the entire poem.
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The Festival of Remembrance — Watch a performance of "For the Fallen" at the Festival of Remembrance.
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The Original Manuscript — Examine the original manuscript of the entire poem.
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"For the Fallen" Read Aloud — Listen to a reading of the poem.
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