Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee,
Whether summer clothe the general earth
With greeness, or the redbreast sit and sing
Betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch
Of mossy apple-tree, while the nigh thatch
Smokes in the sun-thaw; whether the eave-drops fall
Heard only in the trances of the blast,
Or if the secret ministry of frost
Shall hang them up in silent icicles,
Quietly shining to the quiet Moon.



Sunday, November 09, 2008

Remembrance





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.


By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army




Remembering all those who have given their lives for their country, but especially
Pte Harry Hindley Simpson, 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers killed in action August 1916

and

AC2 Harold Harrison RAF buried in Jakarta War Cemetery, Indonesia 1942 - far from home but never forgotten.


"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today"

6 comments:

nita x said...

rowan that poem was gorgeous

VintagePretty said...

Indeed it was lovely. I chose Binyon's poem this year as it seemed to be everywhere, those few moving words "at the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we shall remember", so incredibly moving.

I hope you're well, I've been on a bit of a hiatus but am slowly getting back into the commenting scene.

Julie said...

Hi, Dorothy,

I remember seeing this photo before on your blog. I, too, repeated some photos and info on my Veterans' Day post today. We may have the same things to say every year, but they are SO IMPORTANT!

laoi gaul~williams said...

thats lovely rowan~i did something similar at mine

Jenny said...

What a perfect post for Veteran's Day. I meant to do one myself, but to my regret, I didn't. I always think of this poem on the 11th- the words are so much more poignant since the author himself died on the battlefield. Thank you for posting my thoughts.

Hollace said...

Very moving remembrance. Thank you.