Seven Pillars of Wisdom · Chapter
LXXXV explained
Lawrence recounts the surprise Turkish counterattack on Tafileh, his rage at their tactical folly, and his decision to force a pitched battle.
What happens
Lawrence recounts the surprise Turkish counterattack on Tafileh, his rage at their tactical folly, and his decision to force a pitched battle. He consults with Sherif Zeid, sends Abdulla forward with Hotchkiss guns, and orchestrates a defense that turns the town's panic into resolve, culminating in a planned stand on the heights.
Themes in this chapter
War and Guerrilla Tactics
Lawrence deliberately parodies orthodox army textbook tactics to deliver a pitched battle, blending guerrilla improvisation with formal military maneuvers.
Futility and Meaning
Lawrence questions the value of the battle, calling the Turkish attack 'simple greed' and 'hopeless,' yet chooses to fight out of rage and conceit.
Suffering and Endurance
Lawrence's barefoot climb on icy rock and his wounded feet highlight the physical endurance required in the campaign.
Characters to notice
- T.E. Lawrence
Furious at the Turkish advance, he decides to parody orthodox tactics and force a battle; climbs cliffs barefoot to scout and organize the defense.
- Sherif Zeid
Initially detached and nonchalant, he consults with Lawrence and agrees to the aggressive plan; described as a cool and gallant fighter.
- Sherif Abdulla
Sent forward with two Hotchkiss guns to test the enemy; his charge drives Turkish cavalry back before being checked by the main body.
- Jaafar Pasha
Mentioned as having sketched a defense position on the south bank of the Tafileh ravine, which Lawrence considered unsound.
- Metaab
Young Jazi sheikh, sent with Annad to find Hamd el Arar and rally the peasantry.
- Hamd el Arar
Melancholy, courtly, gallant cavalier who gallops off with twenty relations to support the fighting peasants.
Key passages
“The Turks should never, by the rules of sane generalship, have ventured back to Tafileh at all. It was simple greed, a dog-in-the-manger attitude unworthy of a serious enemy, just the sort of hopeless thing a Turk would do.”
Lawrence believes the Turkish counterattack on Tafileh is strategically senseless and driven by petty greed, not sound military logic.
Expresses Lawrence's contempt for Turkish tactics and his frustration with their irrationality.
“I would rake up my memory of the half-forgotten maxims of the orthodox army textbook, and parody them in action. This was villainous, for with arithmetic and geography for allies we might have spared the suffering factor of humanity; and to make a conscious joke of victory was wanton.”
Lawrence decides to deliberately mimic conventional military doctrine as a parody, acknowledging that a more efficient strategy could have avoided unnecessary suffering.
Highlights Lawrence's self-awareness and moral conflict over choosing a bloody battle for personal reasons.
“The people were in a very passion of fear, nearly dangerous, abusing everybody and everything: but there was nothing pro-Turkish abroad. They were in horror of the Turks returning, ready to do all in their physical capacity to support against them a leader with fighting intention.”
The townspeople of Tafileh are terrified and chaotic, but their fear is of the Turks, not sympathy for them, and they are willing to fight if led.
Shows Lawrence's assessment of local morale and his decision to stand and fight rather than retreat.