St. Crispin’s Day
Since it’s Saint Crispin’s Day;
This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say, ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian:’
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say, ‘These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.’
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words,
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England, now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
From this day to the ending of the world…he…that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.
Category: Historical
It always amazes me the power these words have to move me.
He promises them all those bragging rights before the battle, and then when it’s over in Act IV, Scene 8 —
“Come, go we in procession to the village.
And be it death proclaimed through our host
To boast of this or take the praise from God
Which is his only.”
— a shabby trick, I think.
Yea though bragging rights we have earned, better that we be instead humble.
@ OWB, Et Alii:
Thank you for your elucidation of that statement.
I’m not well educated, and I suspected that’s what it meant, but I wasn’t sure, and now, using plain everyday English, you’ve made it very clear.
Thank YOU for posting this!
As a result, I just now e-mailed the information to all of the military veterans in my e-mail’s address book.
It is ESPECIALLY appropriate for us veterans of the war in the old Republic of Viet Nam to observe this feast, remembering those who refused to answer the call, plus, remembering how we Viet Nam veterans were mocked and mistreated upon our return to the States.
Accordingly, in accordance with Army Regulation 670-1:30-6, today would be an appropriate occasion for Viet Nam veterans to wear their full-sized medals properly arranged on the breast of their finest Sunday-Go-To-Meetin’ clothes.
We truly were the, ” – – – few, we happy few, we band of brothers – – – “, as we went when others refused to go, and we did what others refused to do.
John, I forwarded this to some Viet Nam friends (incl. my Vet Group) and to three of my sons. Glad I saw your comment to remind me.
Forty-seven years ago those words meant nothing to me. Today, I understood every single word.
Very moving.
Even after the horror of battle, the point is that one can and should be proud of the fact that they did what had to be done.
That’s what it means to me, anyway. YMMV.
The possibility was that the French at Agincourt picked the wrong spot to fight the Brits. It was a bottleneck. The French nobles were mounted on armored heavy horses and crowded ahead over the foot soldiers, who were being hammered by English longbowmen.
The important thing is that the Brits won, and we get a great play out of it, with some memorable dialog.
Happy St. Crispin’s Day to one and all.
Hammered> An interesting choice of words PH-e. When the battle had been won the bowmen, who had expended their arrows, waded into the French wounded and those who had been captured with the hammers that they used to pound their sharpened defencive stakes into the ground. Any common soldier was fair game because those not of noble rank or high station were beaten to death. Henry had ordered the killing of the prisoners, which was the rule for warfare of the day. It fell to the boamen to do the dirty work as the Knights felt it was below them. Those that could not be ransomed were simply killed and left on the field.
Not seeing clearly now-must be something in the air-but I see (and feel) more clearly than I did in high school, where I first read this in 1957 or ’58—–or after I returned from my second tour in RVN in 1969. Semper Fidelis all my brothers and sisters.
Saint Crispin’s Day at TAH has, as best I can recall, always been noted by Admiral Zero. Thus, when I saw the thread title, I was surprised to see Jonn’s name as the author. Well, Zero, here’s to you–a fellow I will always, rightly or wrongly, associate with this day.
Jonn simply beat me to it.
When being cursed and/or being spit at “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile.”
Always has made my day a bit less painful. Also, I always associate every VN vet with this day.
I was successfully cursed at, but the assholes were never very accurate when they spit.
Yeah….assholes is the appropriate description.
Yep. Next year, please set your alarm.
Consider it done! 🙂
Worth noting that the majority of the French knights killed drowned in the muddy ground. The field was a quagmire. When the Knights were dishorsed, they were pinned to the ground by the weight of their armor and drowned in the mud.
…and we shall sing the non nobis and Te Deum….
https://youtu.be/hPXXuEel0fU
Non nobis domine, domine,
Non nobis domine,
Sed nomini, sed nomini
tuo da gloriam.
Hmmm……you are not connected to Opus Dei are you?
More like Opus the Penguin?
No. Not me.
Romani quidem artem amatoriam invenerunt
Galli extendens adhuc.
The bonds formed between peacetime brothers-in-arms are strong, are unique, and last a lifetime. But the bonds formed between those who serve in combat are stronger and even more intense.
To those in my units in Afghanistan and Iraq with whom it was my privilege to serve, fare thee well; may God continue to keep watch over you as he did in-theater. And may we meet again one day to reminisce.
Deus nos omnes benedicat