It seems to have become a tradition for me to post some of my favorite WWI poetry on Veterans Day. I suppose that is because Veterans Day has its roots in Armistice Day, the day WWI ended. The British Commonwealth calls today Remembrance Day.
This year’s selection is The Soldier By Rupert Brooke. Brooke was a relatively well known English poet before he enlisted in the British Army in 1914 at the age of 27. He wrote The Soldier in 1914, shortly after he enlisted but it wasn’t published until after his death in 1915.
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
My thanks to all my brothers and sisters who served alongside me. As the Bard said, We few, We happy few we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother.
I have an assignment for you today: Reach out to a battle buddy and find out how they are doing.
Happy Veterans Day!