Today is Saint Crispin’s Day and the anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years War and immortalized in Shakespeare’s “Henry V” who gave us the “Band of Brothers” speech.
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.
–Henry V, Act IV, Scene 3.
What a brilliant piece of writing and acting!
But updated for TAH:
And valor thieves at home and now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And forge their manhoods cheap so as to pose
With us that fought upon Saint Crispin’s day.
Starting the day with Shakespeare. What is the world coming to? Teehee. 😉
The Cubs and the Indians are in the World Series too!
It’s the end times I tell ya!
There is hope for the world yet! 😀
The other great speech in this play is the “Gates of Harfleur” speech earlier on. It’s the one that starts out “Once more unto the breach.”
Which is how we start our day at work on Mondays…
This line is firm Act 3, Scene 1, and the first line is “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;” .
This space is by Henry V and is the only dialog in the scene.
My table is auto-screwing with my typing.
Firm should read from, and space should read speach.
‘…shall hold their manhoods cheap…’
Yes, they do.
“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”
Followed soon after by a rash of St. Crispin’s day phonies.
Especially as seen on the vests of Ye Olde St. Crispin’s day veterans chariot gang.
And you know there were phonies back then. However, the punishment was more severe: tar and feathers, drawing and quartering, flogging, branding, removing an eye, or just declaring a person an “outlaw” meaning that they were outside of the protection of the law. Ah, the good old days.
I’ve always rather liked the concept of ‘outlaw’… let me see – at least one free shot at anyone who flicks their cigarette butt out their car window, at least a magazine full any anyone driving drunk, unlimited target practice at child molesters, rapists, thieves… yeah, I can get into this.
^^^This^^^
Point.
Heard on the radio this morning: Guys that beat their own mothers with hockey sticks should have to run a gauntlet of everyone in the town with hockey sticks.
And to each of us, who knew our own Band of Brothers with whom we served, let us remember the lost and living fondly and with respect. Today and every day.
Amen. To the fallen and to those who stood!
Were more people taught the classics in school these days we might once again be producing some true thinkers into our society instead of training a kid to take a test.
When all you concentrate on is a test, then the only information that becomes relevant to our youth is the test questions as the rest of history/science/math becomes irrelevant. We remove the common denominators in our education and replace them with options A-D….
Did anyone else notice a young Christian Bale? He was good in this and in Empire Of The Sun.
2/17 Air Cav had me set a reminder in my email calendar last year for today’s celebration of St. Crispin’s Day….just got home from the VA and am so glad “I remembered.”
Thank you, 2/17 Air Cav!
“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” – Calvin Coolidge
Wow. Not often you hear a quote from Silent Cal. Nice one.
http://mobile.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/calvin_coolidge.html
Thanks, GD.
You’re right about Cal – I liked it for its profound simplicity.