Monday, November 12, 2007

St. Crispen's Day Speech

This day is called the Feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tiptoe 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 remember'd.
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 today 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 abed
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.

-William Shakespeare, Henry V, Act IV, Scene III.

2 comments:

Beth said...

According to Wikipedia, the feast day of Saints Crispin and Crispinian is actually October 25, so I'm posting this speech a bit late...

Beth said...

...But, on second thought, it's a pretty fitting choice for the day after Remembrance Day (a.k.a. Armistice Day, Veterans' Day): "But we in it shall be remembered--we few, we happy few, we band of brothers..."