The Fallen

[Vince]

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.


Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.


They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eye, 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.


They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.


But where our desires are and our hopes profound
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;


As the starts that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end they remain.


By: Laurence Binyon

[Snow (retired)]

Vince cited Laurence Binyon:

>". . . a mother for her children, England mourns for her dead across the sea. Flesh of her flesh they were . . .


If England was the mother, who was the father?

[Diane]

Vince, thank you for copying that here on Remembrance Day. I don’t think I have read the whole poem through before. I just want to copy the most famous lines, again:

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.

Diane

[Jeremy (retired)]

Enoch powell said that the best way to invade a country is not by war, but by immigration. Immigrants get citizenship and the right to vote and they get into Parliament. In the end a lot of soldiers died for nothing. The paradox is that people mourn their dead yet at the same time vote for political parties who have a lenient immigration policy. Britain asked for it, though, because "she" greedily snapped up all the foreign colonies, and the natives of those lands therefore have a right to travel there and build their homes. Poor granddad. All for nothing.

[Tim]

What a disgusting, racist post, Jeremy. I thought the soldiers died precisely to defend the idea that people could move between nations, without fear of cattle cars or of being turned away from borders because their skin was the wrong colour, or they spoke the wrong language. Unless poor grandad was a Nazi, he died defending the rights of immigrants and everyone to live in freedom.

Have you ever listened to 'First we take Manhattan'?

[Young dick c.]

Unless poor grandad was a Nazi, he died defending the rights of immigrants and everyone to live in freedom.

Harrrr harrrr harrrrr!!!!!
Now that is funny!!!!
Ydc/Young d. cheney