Recessional
By Rudyard Kipling
1897
God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle-line,
Beneath whose awful Hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
The tumult and the shouting dies;
The Captains and the Kings depart:
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe,
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser breeds without the Law—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
For heathen heart that puts her trust
In reeking tube and iron shard,
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And guarding, calls not Thee to guard,
For frantic boast and foolish word—
Thy mercy on Thy People, Lord!
Sorry, Rudyard, they forgot.
I went to school in New Zealand
We sang that song at school for Armistice Day (Nov 1)and for ANZAC Day (April 25)
Both were school holidays and most of us were in the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides
We represented our troops and had our own wreaths to lay at the Centotaph on the actual day where we sang that song again plus others..
ANZAC = Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
The day commemoraters April 25 1915 when the ANZACs were slaughtered by the Moslems at Gallipoli..
My mother lost 3 uncles...