Sunday, October 25, 2009

Cry God! For Harry, St George and England!





Saint Crispin's Day Speech
from Henry V by William Shakespeare















This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.










Oh yes and it's also the anniversary of the Charge of the Light Brigade too.



When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made,
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred.

— Alfred, Lord Tennyson

3 annotations:

Dark Lochnagar said...

Just as a point of interest. My sister once owned the horse who was in the subsequent film of the Charge of the Light Brigade and led the charge. I sat on his back, ( I couldn't say I was riding him) and he was enormous. Lucan was his name. As an aside I was once British and proud but now I am Scottish and proud so I appreciate your mindset.

James Higham said...

Gosh, three in one - I'll need to mark that.

Junius said...

Particularly as the English forces (that is from the nation of England )actually defeated the troops of Philip of France - the French Nation as we know it didn't exist then and what then constituted France was just a small part of what it is now.

And yet the Straw man - so hot on history - tells us that France is undoubtedly a nation - but England isn't. I can't seem to get it myself - must be thick or something!