Comments on: The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 19:16:30 +0000

Kieth, that is one of the most poignant descriptors I have ever read. Thank you.

By: kris

kris — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 17:34:08 +0000

Thank you, Jonathan for these tender thoughts.

By: Keith

Keith — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 17:30:34 +0000

If you’ve never heard Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem” with traditional Latin text and poetry by Wilfired Owen, you ought to give it a listen.

Note this passage:
So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,
And took the fire with him, and a knife.
And as they sojourned both of them together,
Isaac the first-born spake and said, My Father,
Behold the preparations, fire and iron,
But where the lamb for this burnt-offering?
Then Abram bound the youth with belts and straps,
And builded parapets and trenched there,
And streched forth the knife to slay his son.
When lo! and angel called him out of heaven,
Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,
Neither do anything to him. Behold,
A ram, caught in a thicket by its horns;
Offer the Ram of Pride instead of him.
But the old man would not so,
but slew his son, -
And half the seed of Europe, one by one.

By: Ronan

Ronan — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 13:00:50 +0000

Thanks, J. I had almost forgotten about today. One of the things I miss about living in England is the wearing of poppies by most everyone around this time of year. We call today, “Rememberance Day.”

To this day, and despite many efforts, I have yet to understand World War I. To take nothing away from the brave men who died, to speak of them “fighting for freedom” does honour to the war rather than the men. The men were brave; the war, however, was a colossal evil, an apalling waste of blood and treasure, and a painful scar on Europe’s soil.