Balin and Balan by Alfred Tennyson (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis)

 

Balin and Balan

by Alfred Tennyson

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis) 

Balin and Balan

Pelleas, and Ettarre: or, the world’s great bridals,

That God’s and Nature’s general law, and mine,

And every morn I found the maiden mute,

And every eve I found the maiden changed.

 

So till the fourth day after Easter week,

When Balin rose, and Balin’s brother Balan,

The twin, together, left the Holy Grail,

To pass into the Vale of Camelot,

And found the narrow street where Arthur sat

Throned on the dais, and heard the kingly voice

Of Arthur, as he spake and bade them hail.

 

Then Balin said, “I left the Holy Grail,

Because I deemed it sinful to be glad

Save in the sight of God;” and Balan said,

“I left it for I deemed it a sin to mourn

For any loss of human hope or love.”

 

Then Arthur smiled and spake: “Behold ye now,

How God doth make the work that we would do

His work and ours alike. For though ye two

Have left the quest, and yet the quest ye serve.

Ye follow in the footsteps of the Lord.”

 

And while he spake, the sudden tears were hot

Upon the cheek of Balin, and he bowed

Before the King and made his prayer: “O King,

My brother Balan is as I myself,

But one heart in us; grant us leave, O King,

Together to go forth and cleanse the world

Of evil, and of traitor hearts, and tongues

That slander one another, for the world

Is foul with such.”

 

Then Arthur gave the sign

To go: “Arise, and hence, and fight the wrong,

And cleanse the world of traitors and of lies.”

 

Then forth they passed, and Balin’s heart was glad,

And Balin’s brother’s likewise, for they found

An arm in arm companionship of war.

But ere they rode a league, a woman ran

And cried, “O Balin, Balin! turn again,

And save me from Sir Garlon, false knight,

Who follows me to slay me for my lands!”

 

Then Balin turned, and lo! the insolent knight

Rode on, and struck the damsel through the heart.

Then Balin, mad with grief and fury, drew

His sword, and smote Sir Garlon, till the blood

Ran from him as he died.

 

Then Balan said,

“O brother, how is this? the holy quest

Was peace, and now we fall from it in blood.”

But Balin said, “I know not; yet I feel

There is a curse upon me, and a doom

That drives me from all gladness.”

 

Then they rode

To Camelot, and Arthur spake: “Alas!

For thou hast slain unknightly. Yet the wrong

Was great, and he was false; wherefore, arise,

And wash thy hands of blood, and rest awhile.”

 

But Balin said, “Nay, King, for I am cursed;

And cursed be he who loosed me from my vow,

For I must pass away, nor stay for peace.”

 

Then Balan cried, “If Balin rides, then I

Ride with him.”

 

So together forth they went,

And met the Lady of the Lake, who said,

“Lo, Balin, see the shield of purest white,

That never mortal wore, save one as pure;

Take thou this shield, and bear it, for the King.”

 

But Balin took the shield, and knew not then

The curse that lay upon it, for it shone

As heaven shines, white with fire of holiness;

Yet every time he smote in righteous cause,

It blazed and burned his heart with fiercer pain.

 

So Balin fought, and Balan by his side,

Till many days were past, and in the end,

They came upon a castle in the wild,

Where, each unknowing other, they two met

And fought in darkness, till each wounded sore

And dying, saw the other’s face, and knew.

 

Then Balin said, “O brother, woe is me!

We two were one in heart, and now we die

Each by the other’s hand.”

 

And Balan said,

“O brother, I forgive thee! and we go

Together to the rest that God hath made.”

 

So either died, and Arthur wept for them,

And all the court lamented, saying, “Lo!

Two noble hearts, whom one mischance hath slain.”

 

Summary

Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Balin and Balan” is one of the darker and more tragic episodes in his Idylls of the King, a series of narrative poems retelling the Arthurian legends. The poem traces the sorrowful story of the twin brothers, Balin and Balan, whose courage and devotion to King Arthur ultimately lead to destruction rather than glory. The tale revolves around their loyalty, their struggle with inner conflict, and the ruin brought upon them by misunderstanding, suspicion, and an inescapable curse.

The poem opens with the twin knights, Balin and Balan, appearing before King Arthur after leaving the spiritual quest of the Holy Grail. Balin confesses that he withdrew from the quest because he felt unworthy to experience joy in anything other than the direct presence of God. His brother Balan explains that he left because he saw it as sinful to mourn over worldly things. Their reasons are opposite yet reflect the same spiritual struggle — both brothers are torn between human feeling and divine calling. King Arthur welcomes them kindly, understanding that even though they have abandoned the Grail Quest, their hearts remain pure. He gives them a new mission — to ride together and cleanse the land of lies, treachery, and wrongdoing.

The brothers are overjoyed to serve together, for they share an inseparable bond. As they set out on their journey, a woman suddenly appears, crying for help against a cruel knight named Sir Garlon who pursues her to seize her lands. Balin immediately turns to rescue her, but before he can act, Sir Garlon rides up and kills the woman. Enraged and horrified, Balin slays the wicked knight in vengeance. Though his action seems just, the killing brings him no peace. Balan warns his brother that this violent deed has drawn him away from the spirit of their sacred quest, which was meant to bring peace, not bloodshed. Balin, however, feels an invisible shadow of doom pressing upon him — as if a curse lies on his soul. He senses that misfortune follows him wherever he goes.

When they return to Camelot, Arthur is grieved by Balin’s deed. Though he admits that the slain knight was evil, he reproves Balin for acting rashly, saying such violence is unknightly. The King advises him to wash away the stain of blood and rest for a time. But Balin, restless and tormented, refuses to remain at peace. He declares that a curse clings to him and that he must continue wandering. Balan, bound by brotherly love, insists on accompanying him wherever he goes. Together they leave again, determined to find redemption through service and bravery.

As they travel, they meet the mysterious Lady of the Lake, a mystical figure who offers Balin a shining white shield. She tells him that it is a pure and holy emblem, fit only for one who is equally pure of heart. Balin gratefully accepts the shield, unaware that it carries with it a hidden curse. The shield, glowing like light from heaven, seems to represent purity and divine strength, yet each time Balin fights a righteous battle with it, he feels his heart burn more painfully. The same light that symbolizes holiness becomes a fire of inward torment to him, showing that his zeal, though pure in motive, is destroying him from within.

The brothers continue their adventures, fighting bravely against wrong and injustice. Over time, they are separated, each wandering into different regions. In one such lonely place, Balin comes upon a strange castle. Its lord invites him to stay and defend its gates in combat against a mysterious knight who daily rides up to challenge the guard. Balin accepts the duty without knowing that the “mysterious knight” is none other than his own brother Balan, who has come to the same castle from the opposite direction. Each fights under the shadow of the place’s darkness, not recognizing the other because of their armor and the dim light. The combat is fierce and desperate, both driven by a sense of fatal destiny. They wound each other mortally before realizing the dreadful truth.

When at last their visors are lifted and their faces revealed, both are struck with horror. The twin brothers, inseparable in life, have unknowingly become each other’s destroyers. Balin cries out in anguish, lamenting that they who shared one heart have perished by each other’s hands. Balan, already dying, forgives his brother tenderly, telling him that they will go together to the eternal rest that God has prepared. The two knights die side by side, reconciled in love, yet destroyed by the same fate that pursued them throughout their lives.

When news of their deaths reaches Camelot, King Arthur and his knights are overcome with grief. They lament the loss of two noble warriors whose courage was unmatched and whose downfall came not through sin, but through tragic misunderstanding and the mysterious working of destiny. Arthur mourns deeply, realizing that the evil they sought to cleanse from the world has instead turned inward, consuming their own pure hearts. The court honors them as heroes whose tragedy serves as a somber reminder of the fragile boundary between zeal and destruction, between righteousness and pride.

In the end, “Balin and Balan” stands as one of the saddest episodes in the Idylls of the King, portraying two knights whose devotion to purity leads them to ruin. Tennyson’s telling is rich with sorrowful irony — the same fire of holiness that once guided their hearts becomes the flame that burns them down. Their story moves from brotherly love and loyalty to violent misunderstanding and death, leaving behind a mood of deep melancholy and moral reflection, as if the curse that haunted Balin was not merely personal, but a shadow over all human striving toward perfection.

 

Paraphrase

1. “Pelleas, and Ettarre: or, the world’s great bridals,

That God’s and Nature’s general law, and mine,

And every morn I found the maiden mute,

And every eve I found the maiden changed.”

 

→ The poem follows after “Pelleas and Ettarre,” continuing the theme of love and spiritual conflict — how divine law, natural law, and human feeling intertwine.

→ Every morning, Balin finds the world silent and cold to him, and every evening, his perceptions seem altered, as though all things have shifted.

 

2. “So till the fourth day after Easter week,

When Balin rose, and Balin’s brother Balan,

The twin, together, left the Holy Grail,

To pass into the Vale of Camelot,”

 

→ On the fourth day after Easter, Balin and his twin brother Balan decide to leave the spiritual Quest of the Holy Grail.

→ Together, they ride back toward Camelot, the heart of King Arthur’s kingdom.

 

3. “And found the narrow street where Arthur sat

Throned on the dais, and heard the kingly voice

Of Arthur, as he spake and bade them hail.”

 

→ They arrive at Camelot and find King Arthur seated high upon his throne, welcoming them with royal grace.

 

4. “Then Balin said, ‘I left the Holy Grail,

Because I deemed it sinful to be glad

Save in the sight of God;’ and Balan said,

‘I left it for I deemed it a sin to mourn

For any loss of human hope or love.’”

 

→ Balin explains that he abandoned the Grail Quest because he thought it wrong to feel joy apart from being in God’s direct presence.

→ Balan adds that he left because he thought it sinful to grieve over any worldly loss or human sorrow.

 

5. “Then Arthur smiled and spake: ‘Behold ye now,

How God doth make the work that we would do

His work and ours alike.’”

 

→ King Arthur smiles and tells them that God often turns even human failings into divine service — their leaving the quest can still fulfill His will.

 

6. “For though ye two

Have left the quest, and yet the quest ye serve.

Ye follow in the footsteps of the Lord.”

 

→ Arthur assures them that by fighting for truth and cleansing the land of evil, they are still serving God’s higher purpose.

 

7. “And while he spake, the sudden tears were hot

Upon the cheek of Balin, and he bowed

Before the King and made his prayer…”

 

→ As Arthur speaks, Balin’s heart fills with emotion; tears stream down his face as he kneels before the King to make a humble request.

 

8. “‘O King,

My brother Balan is as I myself,

But one heart in us; grant us leave, O King,

Together to go forth and cleanse the world

Of evil, and of traitor hearts, and tongues

That slander one another, for the world

Is foul with such.’”

 

→ Balin prays that he and Balan — who share one heart and one purpose — may be allowed to go together to rid the world of evil and deceit, for falsehood and slander have made it impure.

 

9. “Then Arthur gave the sign

To go: ‘Arise, and hence, and fight the wrong,

And cleanse the world of traitors and of lies.’”

 

→ Arthur grants permission, commanding them to rise and set out to fight injustice and cleanse the world of falsehood.

 

10. “Then forth they passed, and Balin’s heart was glad,

And Balin’s brother’s likewise…”

 

→ The brothers leave the court joyfully, proud to serve a noble cause and to ride side by side in fellowship.

 

11. “But ere they rode a league, a woman ran

And cried, ‘O Balin, Balin! turn again,

And save me from Sir Garlon, false knight,

Who follows me to slay me for my lands!’”

 

→ Before they had gone far, a desperate woman runs toward them, pleading for help. She begs Balin to protect her from Sir Garlon, a wicked knight pursuing her to steal her lands.

 

12. “Then Balin turned, and lo! the insolent knight

Rode on, and struck the damsel through the heart.”

 

→ Even as she speaks, Sir Garlon rides up and cruelly kills her with his spear.

 

13. “Then Balin, mad with grief and fury, drew

His sword, and smote Sir Garlon, till the blood

Ran from him as he died.”

 

→ Overcome with rage and sorrow, Balin draws his sword and slays Sir Garlon, striking him until he falls dead in his blood.

 

14. “Then Balan said,

‘O brother, how is this? the holy quest

Was peace, and now we fall from it in blood.’”

 

→ Balan laments that their sacred mission, meant to bring peace, has already turned violent and bloody.

 

15. “But Balin said, ‘I know not; yet I feel

There is a curse upon me, and a doom

That drives me from all gladness.’”

 

→ Balin admits he does not understand it, but senses a mysterious curse or fate that dooms him to misery and sorrow.

 

16. “When they came again to Camelot, Arthur spake:

‘Alas! For thou hast slain unknightly. Yet the wrong

Was great, and he was false; wherefore, arise,

And wash thy hands of blood, and rest awhile.’”

 

→ Returning to Camelot, Arthur rebukes Balin for acting rashly, though he admits the slain knight was wicked. He tells Balin to cleanse himself of blood and rest.

 

17. “But Balin said, ‘Nay, King, for I am cursed;

And cursed be he who loosed me from my vow,

For I must pass away, nor stay for peace.’”

 

→ Balin refuses rest, declaring himself cursed. He blames the fate that released him from his earlier spiritual vow, feeling he must wander on without peace.

 

18. “Then Balan cried, ‘If Balin rides, then I

Ride with him.’”

 

→ Balan insists that wherever his brother goes, he will go too; their bond cannot be broken.

 

19. “So together forth they went,

And met the Lady of the Lake, who said,

‘Lo, Balin, see the shield of purest white…

Take thou this shield, and bear it, for the King.’”

 

→ The brothers journey on and meet the mystical Lady of the Lake. She offers Balin a pure white shield, saying it symbolizes holiness and is meant to be carried for King Arthur.

 

20. “But Balin took the shield, and knew not then

The curse that lay upon it…”

 

→ Balin accepts the shield gratefully, unaware that it bears a hidden curse.

 

21. “Yet every time he smote in righteous cause,

It blazed and burned his heart with fiercer pain.”

 

→ Whenever he fights for justice with that shield, it glows brilliantly — but each time, it sears his heart with torment, as though purity itself is destroying him.

 

22. “So Balin fought, and Balan by his side,

Till many days were past…”

 

→ The brothers continue to fight nobly against evil together for many days.

 

23. “They came upon a castle in the wild,

Where, each unknowing other, they two met

And fought in darkness…”

 

→ Eventually, they arrive at a remote castle, where — through tragic misunderstanding — they meet in combat, not recognizing each other due to darkness and armor.

 

24. “Till each wounded sore

And dying, saw the other’s face, and knew.”

 

→ Both are grievously wounded. As they lift their visors, they see each other’s faces and realize the dreadful truth.

 

25. “Then Balin said, ‘O brother, woe is me!

We two were one in heart, and now we die

Each by the other’s hand.’”

 

→ Balin cries out in anguish, lamenting that the two who shared one heart have perished by each other’s swords.

 

26. “And Balan said,

‘O brother, I forgive thee! and we go

Together to the rest that God hath made.’”

 

→ Balan forgives his brother tenderly, telling him they will soon rest together in the peace of God.

 

27. “So either died, and Arthur wept for them,

And all the court lamented, saying, ‘Lo!

Two noble hearts, whom one mischance hath slain.’”

 

→ The brothers die side by side. When the news reaches Camelot, King Arthur and his court mourn deeply, grieving for two noble knights destroyed by tragic misunderstanding.

 

Analysis in Detail

Alfred Tennyson’s “Balin and Balan”, one of the twelve Idylls of the King, stands among the poet’s most tragic and psychologically rich narratives. It explores the destructive power of inner conflict, moral zeal, and misunderstanding, set against the moral idealism of King Arthur’s court. Beneath its medieval armor and chivalric adventure lies a deeply human story — one of faith, guilt, and the terrible irony of how purity of purpose can lead to ruin when passion outruns wisdom.

At the heart of the poem are the twin brothers, Balin and Balan, bound by a love so close that Tennyson calls them “one heart in two.” This physical and spiritual twinship sets them apart in the Arthurian world, symbolizing an ideal harmony between strength and affection. Yet, from the beginning, Tennyson presents this harmony as fragile. Their decision to abandon the Holy Grail quest foreshadows their downfall. Balin leaves because he cannot feel joy except in God’s presence; Balan leaves because he sees it as wrong to grieve over worldly things. These two reasons, opposite yet parallel, reveal their shared flaw — an inability to live within the balance of human and divine duty. Both are extreme in spirit: too rigid to find peace in imperfection, too sensitive to endure human weakness. Tennyson thus sets them up as tragic examples of moral absolutism — men who love purity so fiercely that they destroy themselves in its pursuit.

King Arthur, who represents the moral center of the Idylls, recognizes both their devotion and their danger. When he sends them out to “cleanse the world of lies,” he hopes their zeal will serve good. Yet, his words also echo a subtle warning: the world cannot be wholly cleansed by force. The King’s ideal is harmony — spiritual order expressed through measured action — while Balin’s nature burns with impatient righteousness. This difference defines the entire poem.

The episode of Sir Garlon marks the turning point. When Balin sees the false knight kill a helpless woman, his immediate and violent reaction — though morally understandable — breaks Arthur’s code of restraint. The act of vengeance brings him no peace; instead, it deepens his sense of doom. Here, Tennyson introduces the recurring motif of the curse. Balin feels that some unseen fate is dragging him away from light and joy. The poem never states clearly whether the curse is supernatural or psychological, and that ambiguity is central to its power. The curse may symbolize the inner torment of a man too pure to accept human imperfection. Balin’s conscience, twisted by excessive moral sensitivity, becomes his destroyer.

Arthur’s rebuke reveals the contrast between the King’s tempered reason and Balin’s impulsive faith. The King calls Balin’s killing “unknightly,” even though he admits Garlon’s guilt. His advice to “wash thy hands of blood and rest awhile” carries deep symbolic meaning — purification and spiritual rest. But Balin cannot rest. Rest is peace, and peace, to his restless spirit, feels like failure. He rides on, feeling cursed, and his loyal brother Balan follows him. Their love, noble yet fatal, mirrors the old tragic pattern of loyalty caught in conflict with destiny.

The next symbolic layer enters with the Lady of the Lake and the white shield. The shield, “of purest white,” represents untainted virtue, divine idealism, and purity of soul. When the Lady gives it to Balin “for the King,” she transfers to him a sacred trust. Yet the shield’s radiance burns him each time he fights — a powerful image of spiritual fire that purifies and destroys. The symbol suggests that Balin’s own goodness has turned against him; his zeal for righteousness scorches him from within. Tennyson captures here the peril of moral extremism — the idea that holiness pursued without humility can become its opposite, a consuming pride.

The final tragedy — the fatal combat between the brothers — embodies this theme in its most literal and devastating form. Each brother, separated by circumstance, comes to a lonely castle where misunderstanding and darkness drive them to fight each other to death. The scene is profoundly ironic: two men who have fought side by side against falsehood now kill each other by mistake. The external darkness of the fight mirrors the inner blindness that has haunted Balin throughout the poem. When their visors are lifted and they recognize each other, it is too late. The moment of recognition, tender and heart-wrenching, transforms the violent narrative into a vision of reconciliation. Balan’s forgiveness and their shared death are redemptive, suggesting that what they could not find in life — peace and balance — they discover only in death.

Tennyson closes the poem with Arthur’s lament. The King mourns not merely the loss of two knights but the loss of moral wholeness within his realm. The death of Balin and Balan is symbolic of the gradual decay of Arthur’s ideal kingdom — the Round Table weakened by excesses of zeal, suspicion, and human frailty. Their tragedy anticipates the later disintegration of Camelot, as if their fall were the first crack in the shining vision of moral order.

Stylistically, Tennyson combines high narrative drama with spiritual introspection. The rhythm of his blank verse carries both grandeur and sorrow, while his imagery of light, fire, and purity constantly intertwines the physical and the spiritual. The white shield that burns, the tears of Arthur, the darkness of the final duel — all reveal Tennyson’s mastery of symbolic contrast. His moral tone, though elegiac, is never despairing; he portrays failure as part of the human condition, not as final defeat.

Ultimately, “Balin and Balan” is not merely a tale of two knights but a meditation on the dangers of moral rigidity and the need for balance between spiritual aspiration and human compassion. Balin’s tragedy is that of a soul too earnest for its own peace — one who cannot reconcile divine idealism with earthly reality. Through his downfall, Tennyson reminds the reader that purity without mercy becomes a consuming fire, and that even the noblest hearts must learn to live within the imperfect light of the human world.