kabul


 * __On Lieutenant Eyre's Narrative of the Disasters of Kabul -__** Thomas Hood (1799-1845)

Which this conclusion grants, That Afghan clans had all the** **//Khans// And we had all the can'ts.**
 * A sorry tale of sorry plans,

This poem is about the disastrous campaigns that Britain had when it tried to occupy Afghanistan from 1839-1842. It was written as a criticism of the way the government hadled the war.

For more information about the disastrous Anglo-Afghan war click [|here].

It has an alternate line rhyme scheme and is written like a nursery rhyme using a humourous play on words to highlight this idea of Britain failing. Khan is a popular surname in Afghanistan and possibly the name of many of the Afghans who fought against the British occupation.

The repetition of the word 'sorry' in the first line conjure up images of failure and sadness, while the second line leads us to the thought in the last two lines.

The last two lines humourosuly highlight the idea of the contrast between the British (we) and the Afghan forces, by using the play on words using a popular Afghan surname. The rhyme of the words 'clans' and 'plans' allows for the last line to be truly emphasised.