You'll recall Great Britain faced off the Mahdi in the 1880s, with General Gordon losing his head in Khartoum and a British Square being partially broken at the battle of Abu Klea, in which the beloved and heroic Col. Burnaby was killed by a Moslem spear to the throat.
Sir Henry Newboldt wrote a poem immortalizing the thing. Here it is:
There’s a breathless hush in the Close to-night —Ten to make and the match to win —A bumping pitch and a blinding light,An hour to play and the last man in.And it’s not for the sake of a ribboned coat,Or the selfish hope of a season’s fame,But his Captain’s hand on his shoulder smote —‘Play up! play up! and play the game!’The sand of the desert is sodden red, —Red with the wreck of a square that broke; —The Gatling’s jammed and the Colonel dead,And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.The river of death has brimmed his banks,And England’s far, and Honour a name,But the voice of a schoolboy rallies the ranks:‘Play up! play up! and play the game!’This is the word that year by year,While in her place the School is set,Every one of her sons must hear,And none that hears it dare forget.This they all with a joyful mindBear through life like a torch in flame,And falling fling to the host behind —‘Play up! play up! and play the game!’
Play up! Play up! And play the game! It's easy to mock this, unless you're, ahem, Texas A&M(!), and the beastly place which calls itself "Clifton," but maybe not so fast, punters. Are duty, loyalty, esprit de corps and sheer resolution in the face of the enemy bad things? I will face you, enemy of my people, and I will not give up. Ever. There's a virtue in that, call it fighting spirit if you like.
Your Friend,
LSP
PS. A schoolboy "rallies the ranks." Reflect on the line. Try saying the chorus in that very same, unbroken voice and see where it leads you. Maybe to this:
6 comments:
One of my favourite poems. Curse the WWI war poets for making this kind of inspiring war poem obsolete.
I'm with you, T. But... maybe it'd be better to curse WWI for bringing the whole thing crashing down? Sorry, there's a dark and labyrinthine vein in that.
On a happier theme, hope pastoral life in Ireland's not only congenial but idyllic. Should be in London later this year, let's meet up if poss.
Sometimes it's better to light the napalm than to curse the darkness.
But I'm too old for that kinda stuff and would like things to be quiet in my old age.
Same here, Wild, have to say.
Still, always willing, eh?
Definitely curse WWI for bringing the world crashing down. My hot take is that the Brits (and the world) would have been MUCH better off had they stayed out of it, no "Miracle at the Marne", let the Germans march into Paris and then wipe the Russians. Honoring the neutrality of Belgium surely wasn't worth the price paid. But as you say, that's an entirely other story.
Life is plugging away, busy with wrangling 2 yr old twins (though there's a lot of joy in that). Hoping to get out for my first fox hunt this winter as thankfully the Irish aren't so progressive (despite their headlong rush to abandon most of their morals) to have followed the Brits in their banning of the noble sport.
That'd be good. Maybe I can jet over for some warm ale and retail therapy. Keep me posted.
Good WWI call, T, I think. Kyrie, what an UTTER disaster, at every level.
Regardless, congrats on the kids (nice) and well done on hunt. Word to the wise, don't fall off.
Let's meet in London at Clubland later this year, if you can.
Love to all.
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