Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
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.
- Laurence Binyon
We will remember the fallen British soldiers:
We will remember the fallen Canadian soldiers:
We will remember the fallen American soldiers:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
- John McCrae
img:"http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/phasewest/7174d1224749250-royal-british-legion-poppy-appeal-starts-today-23rd-oct-2008-poppy.jpg"
ReplyDeleteI am humbled and incredibly grateful on this day, and every Remembrance Day.
I can never read that McCrae poem without tearing up.
ReplyDeleteHome is the hunter, home from the hill, and all
ReplyDeletethat you have hunted you bring in your arms, and
all that you bring is nothing. It is languorously quiet
and you feel enervated into the future and thought is
a burden you would like to put down somewhere and
run away from. Solitude is the only thing you are
conscious of and you are surprised that loneliness can become
a presence. It's like seeing a hand outstretched and grasping
it and unaccountably finding that it is your own. And
in the intimacy of self encountering self at long last,
all other awarenesses withdraw as though though they had tactlessly intruded.
[snip]
You do not see the unwashed face of Private Whitney
poke itself through the grass and survey the ground in
clinical analysis, then wave to the other members of your
squad emerging from the brush. You do not see him
approach you at a crouch and look down at the
hole in you side and lift up your left wrist
and press his finger against it to detect a pulse.
You do not hear Lieutenant Nixon come forward to the
group and ask Whitney whether or not you're still alive.
"Lieutenant," he replies, "there is nothing moving but his watch."
~~"Beach Red", a prose poem by Peter Bowman, 1945, pages 121 & 122, final lines.
I try to make re-reading "Beach Red" a ritual every Memorial Day and every Veterans Day. It's short, only 122 pages, and it reminds me of real "reality."
There is no "bang" in the end, not even a whimper.
Thank you Fay, and aridog.
ReplyDeleteThis is always a solemn day in our home. All of our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are close in our hearts.
To all who serve and who have served, thank you.
My Father could recite In Flanders Field. Our never-ending gratitude must go out to those who sacrifice so much so that we may enjoy the blessings of life.
ReplyDeleteOur hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks, are in Ottawa today for a game against the Ottawa Senators tonight. And instead of a morning practice skate then went to the national Remembrance Day Ceremony in the capital. All of them, and the coaches, and the manager.
ReplyDeleteimg:"http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/phasewest/3813281.jpg"
Damn right, excellent. My Canucks, God bless them, and those whom they saluted in proud Ottawa this beautiful, Canadian morning.
ReplyDeleteYeah, even the CBC hacks were impressed at the Canucks, they even interviewed Malhotra and asked him why he was there.
ReplyDeletebtw, the sailors in the last clip are from my old unit, the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard.
ReplyDeleteThat was just lovely, Fay, thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Fay. And love the story about the Canucks team! I'm waiting to watch the videos until I'm in a place where I can have a good cry; I just can't watch those things with dry eyes anymore.
ReplyDeleteRemembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph is ongoing at the moment. An incredibly poignant tribute to British and Commonwealth veterans and all who served and are serving for country and Crown. God save the Queen. And it goes without saying, God bless US veterans past and present also.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post for you to read here about how this day has changed over the last decade. My only gripe with it is the post should include the Commonwealth, which is represented here today in no uncertain terms, but I hope the spirit of freedom and the nod to it in the post would suggest he includes this. If we are to have a national day like every other country has then I would very much like for this to be it. It is truly a wonderful thing to behold seeing the Commonwealth represented, a joining together like this. And a chance for the nation to show our love and respect for all who have served past and present.
http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2010/11/we-will-remember-them.html
We will Remember Them.