Friday 11 November 2016

Remembering

Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McRae wrote this poem on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of his friend Lieutenant Alexis Helmer who died in the gun positions near Ypres.


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.

The poem has been set to music many times, but this is my favourite version.

7 comments:

  1. Beautifully done by that boys choir. Thank you for sharing.

    We will remember them.

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  2. Lovely job done by the boy's choir.

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  3. Beautiful.
    Some day (but not in my lifetime I suspect) I hope that Remberance Day becomes a historical anomaly...

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  4. I agree, a wonderful rendition of the words.
    P.s. The weather's so cold it would freeze the balls off a brass monkey 😊😊 is that what you were thinking about Shammi 😊

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  5. Lovely boy's chorus and audience in the beautiful hall. The piano is also beautifully singing. Have a good new week,Shammic.

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  6. I learned this poem as WWI poem which reminds me of poppies and Remembrance Day. I didn’t know the poem was made into a piece of music. The boys’ performance is so nice.

    Yoko

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