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A little Shakespeare to go with the war.
Henry V by William Shakespeare ^ | 17th century | William Shakespeare

Posted on 11/03/2003 12:26:11 PM PST by BioForce1

George W. Bush advising troops in Iraq

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our American dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest American.
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof! Men who set the very air aflame at Shilo, Normandy, Ia Drang, Inchon, The Alamo, and Hiroshima!
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,
Have in these parts from morn till even fought
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,
Whose limbs were made in America, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

 


TOPICS: War on Terror
KEYWORDS: shakespeare; war

1 posted on 11/03/2003 12:26:11 PM PST by BioForce1
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To: BioForce1
Of course there's also:

WILLIAMS: But if the cause be not good, the king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and arms and heads, chopped off in battle, shall join together at the latter day and cry all 'We died at such a place.'

2 posted on 11/03/2003 1:38:45 PM PST by PMCarey
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