For the Fallen
They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
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.
_
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7 comments:
Yes, we will remember them.
A moment's reflection for a poignant post? Phew! Well posted, CF.
I watched the ceremony at the Cenotaph today. Gordon was the ONLY one who did not bow his head after laying his wreath. Gives the measure of the 'man', doesn't it?
To selsey.steve.
Yes, it probably does - thank God we won't have to see his one-eyed, gurning, porridge-wog face for much longer.
And thank you, CF, for the timely reflection.
Selsey.steve, I noticed that as well.
The cunt.
Attended the service at our local cenotaph this morning. Youngster was marching with locl brass band but in air cadet uniform (as befits the occasion). We did notice that the service were more people on The Slopes this year than there have been in previous years.
One small correction. It's "contemn" not "condemn"
@TheFatBigot:
From wikipedia
"There has been some debate as to whether the line “Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn” should end with the words ‘condemn’ or ‘contemn’. Contemn means to ‘despise’ therefore either word would make sense in the context of the stanza.
When the poem was first printed in The Times on 21 September 1914 the word ‘condemn’ was used. This word was also used in the anthology The Winnowing Fan: Poems of the Great War in 1914 in which the poem was published later. If the original publication had contained a misprint Binyon would have had the chance to make amendments, so it seems unlikely that the word 'contemn' was meant."
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