This week's Monday Memory is a lament for my lost post.
Half an hour of careful choosing pictures and words, sculpting a lovely post - and as I hit submit Blogger disconnected and ate it....
[soulful rendition of The Last Post]
....and a moment craved of your time to answer OldOldLady's question.
"Where does St. Crispin fit in?"
St Crispin was/is the patron saint of cobblers (shoemakers) and his feast day is the 25 Oct.
Which, coincidentally enough, is also the day of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 when 6,000 English defeated 30,000 French (or so the history books say).
Which, in turn, led to Shakespeare's wonderful St Crispin's Day speech in Henry V :-)
'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today 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'
William Shakespeare King Henry V, Act IV, Scene 3
In the preceding Act (III, Scene 1), King Henry V makes the pre-battle speech that begins with the now everday phrase:
'Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;'
and finishes with the famous phrase,
‘Cry God for Harry, England and St. George!’
(abridged - it's a VERY long speech.....!)
cq
11 comments:
Ooooooooo I am first. I hope that blogger accepts my comment. Blogger is not being a very good blogger today. IN FACT if blogger does not behave then I think it wil have to go and stand in the corner!!!
Hello CQ, hope you are well. I studied a lot of Shakespeare in School and College, it is good to see the link between his work and St George.
ooooooooo what a good blogger ;)
Blogger is back! Hooray! I knew that St. Crispin was in "Henry V" but I don't think I ever knew what the exact conrext was...Thank You So Very Very Much, my dear CQ.
I have always loved that speech...as has most of the world who love Shakespeare...And the wonderful sentiments of that speech...Band Of Brothers...yes, yes, yes!
And....I like the possibly undocumented story of the small numbers of That English Band Of Brothers, winning over that huge group of French soldiers...so I choose to believe that THAT is the truth.
Also, I love the name, St. Crispin. It's nice to say, you know?
Once more into the breach dear friends? How apt seeing as I have an exam today! Hello CQ, Bet you can't guess who this is :-)
I know who you are bob-kat :-D
Knew we'd suck you in sooner or later!
Hullo, love.
cq
Boo *runs away and hides*
Hey, a mini history lesson here, very nice, cq. And sorry about the lost post (boo blogger!)
The battle of Agincourt is not much contested really. the oldest evidence of the 6000:36000 (or 6:1 ratio) is probably Shakespeare, but every other document has agreed with it until last year when one book was published claiming the ration was only 3:2! Other books of 2005 & 2006 have stuck with the 6:1 ratio.
it was all to do with the english (well, Welsh) longbow and the fact that we grow just the right trees here:-) although Henry was, by all accounts, a genious military tactician too.
"Fell Deeds awake: fire & slaughter!
Spear shall be shaken, shield shall be splintered
A sword day, A red day,
Ere the sun rises!"
(King Theoden - Return of the King, JRR Tolkien)
That has to be my favourite war speech (despite being fictional).
But brave (true) conflicts against hopless odds - Charge of the light brigade and Tennysons poem:
http://poetry.eserver.org/light-brigade.html
Hi my favorite queenie, stopped by and got a mini history lesson! I actually remember this from high school! Can you believe that? LOL
The Charge of the light brigade was just bloody stupid!
Though a good poem;-)
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