Here's a bit of history, which we sometimes forget about: this day marks the celebration of the ceasefire during "The Great War," World War I. That was back when there was only one "world" war. That was some time ago.
For more history, check this link out. Or catch a slice of the culture with this famous poem, written during WWI.
In Flanders FieldIn Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
7 comments:
That's a beautiful poem. I didn't know it before.
I'm always aware of Veterans' Day because it's my birthday :) and also because I have a lot of family history related to WWII. And probably WWI too, but I don't know as much about it.
I wrote a piece about my family history over at the Nutshell. Come and see!
http://magicnutshell.blogspot.com/
Wow, that was beautiful.
Yes, veterans day is important. Not many left who remember The Great War, but its good to have articles to read online. Thanks for sharing the links.
........dhole
You know they're still digging up bones and munitions from those fields almost a hundred years later...
Genie--Happy birthday!
We memorized this poem in elementary school, and to this day, it is probably one of the most memorable and meaningful things I learned. We traveled a lot, and my Mom is into family research, so we've been to a lot of cemeteries. The military cemeteries stick to my mind, and the poem rolls around my head. Thank you for your comment--and your beautiful story, which I just read.
Donna--Thank you. Thank you also for sharing the video you found in your post. It's haunting and beautiful.
Laura--I didn't, but I believe it. It's just so terrible.
This is beautiful, the image and the poem It is an amazing place to visit, Flanders Fields. We mainly explored around Ypres..:)
i think a good start would be to give more people the day off! it's become one of those holidays no one pays attention to because it feels like another thursday, we need to be more like the french when it comes to time off work
L'Aussie: Your photos were magnifique! I have not been to Flanders Field, though I was at a military cemetery in France. I would like to see it, someday.
Christopher: That probably would help. I didn't have to work, and was happy to have the time off. It was nice to hear patriotic songs on the radio while I was driving around, too.
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