Reflections From a Murky Pond

Requiem Ultra Repris
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It’s past the centennial of the Armistice that ended WW1, but I feel that the dead of that long ago war deserve a reprise of their requiem. And, thanks to the calligraphic skills and efforts of Satwinder Sehmi, this is easy to do. On top of that, his rendering of Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae’s iconic poem as a poppy is brilliant.

In Flanders Fields

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.

Indeed, by way of a history lesson, In Flanders Fields is cited as the reason that the poppy is the symbol of remembrance for those who died in service and in war.

Tags: Armistice | Death | Flanders Field | History | Holidays | John McCrae | Poetry | Poppies | Remembrance Day | Satwinder Sehmi | Society | Soldiers | War | World War 1 | WW1

This entry was posted on Monday, November 12th, 2018 at 8:47 am and is filed under Society. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Remembrance

It eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month exactly a century ago that the armistice that ended World War I was signed at Compiègne, France.  Yes, it was exactly 100 years ago that the surviving men of that generation from 32 countries could breathe a sigh of relief and think of going home.

Yet, many millions never went home, save as corpses to be buried or as mere tokens used to keep count.  And, as the years and decades past time in perfect order and “The War To End All Wars” was supplanted by later, more romantic conflicts, even the count became something of import only to some few scholars, those men long gone having passed from remembrance, with the last of their surviving fellows having died on May 5, 2011 at the age of 110.

‘Tis to our shame I think that we spare no time to either review or remember those brave souls nor the war they died in.

Tags: Armistice | Death | History | Holidays | Remembrance Day | Society | Soldiers | War | World War 1 | WW1

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 11th, 2018 at 11:00 am and is filed under Society. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.