Quotation for Saturday 11th April 2020

Good morning everyone.

I'm going off at a bit of a tangent with my quotation today.

Warriors! That's what all of us are in this coronavirus crisis and I believe that when it's finally over and we return to our normal lives, for years we will tell our children and grandchildren of this strange and difficult time and how we survived it and won. That we were there, whether fighting the dreadful disease on the front line, caring for others, or doing our part by enduring lonely and frustrating days and weeks confined to home and restricted in oh so many ways.

It's another kind of war.

And that turned my thoughts to one of Shakespeare's most well known and most inspiring speeches in his play Henry V. It's the St. Crispin Day Speech.

King Henry V is giving his army a pep talk to spur them on in the Battle of Agincourt, when they are badly outnumbered. He hears their grumbles and interrupts them with this speech, reminding them that those who help to win the fight and survive to go home, will proudly share their memories of the battle they fought. Just as we are fighting our own battle now and making our own history to tell the generations to come.

Shakespeare can be a tough read, but this is a really stirring speech with some relevance to all of us, engaged as we are in our very own sort of fight.

Here's a part of it:

King Henry V:

"This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,

Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,

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 Crispian'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 rememb'red.

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 remembered-

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 accurs'd they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."

Lots of us are feeling a bit battle weary right now with weeks ahead of the fight still to come, and we just desperately want it all to be over. We can all take inspiration, pride and strength from these words, that we are doing all we have to do to defeat this very different enemy.

Wishing you all the inspiration to help you through today and every day, as happily as possible.🙏