Friday, April 13, 2007

Play the game

I wonder whether the Government officials who allowed the sailors to sell their stories to the press have read Sir Henry Newbolt's poem:

There’s a breathless hush in the Close to-night
Ten to make and the match to win
A bumping pitch and a blinding light,
An hour to play and the last man in.
And it’s not for the sake of a ribboned coat,
Or the selfish hope of a season’s fame,
But his Captain’s hand on his shoulder smote
“Play up! play up! and play the game!'”

The sand of the desert is sodden red,
Red with the wreck of a square that broke;
The Gatling’s jammed and the Colonel dead,
And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.
The river of death has brimmed his banks,
And England’s far, and Honour a name,
But the voice of a schoolboy rallies the ranks:
“Play up! play up! and play the game!'”

This is the word that year by year,
While in her place the School is set,
Every one of her sons must hear,
And none that hears it dare forget.
This they all with a joyful mind
Bear through life like a torch in flame,
And falling fling to the host behind
“Play up! play up! and play the game!'”

12 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Whisper it quietly, but I can't get quite as excited about poetry as you.

In fact, whisper it even more softly, my knowledge of Dylan Thomas is a bit light...

In fact, the only poet I can say I'm a fan of is Philip Larkin.

Although William Blake hit the nail on the head with his :

'Tyger, Tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?'

Again, my education is to blame.

We covered sonnets and 'englynion' in Welsh, but not a sausage in the English language. I think part of the reason is that there is an inexhaustible supply of English contemporary fiction. There is less in Welsh, so it makes sense to also cover poems, short stories and the like.

That said I failed my Welsh Lit. as I was too busy getting my 'science' subjects sorted out. It seemed the right priority at the time, but I'm not so sure now...

8:23 pm  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

What about Shakespeare? Are you a fan?

10:25 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmm.. It would be stretching the word 'fan' almost to breaking point to describe my reaction to Shakey in those terms, but will go and see his plays if they are on.

On a lighter note on the poetry front:

http://www.pamayres.com/

Her recent Radio 4 series is guaranteed to raise a smile, but I must admit I had no idea she was so popular in Australia !

10:21 am  
Blogger kinglear said...

I'm a great fan of Will. But more importantly, the point ( I think) you are making is extremely important. Noone does things anymore for the love of the game or whatever. It's all money and me.
I suppose I would have to say, as others have before, The love of money is the root of all evil. When MPs and Town Councillors had their own businesses and wealth, there was much more done and achieved, at lesser cost to the taxpayer. Altruism was much more in evidence than now.

11:37 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Whisperer - When are you going to give us a quick update on the goings on at Winchester Cathedral ? Or even at 'Winchester Towers' ? Don't be coy..

9:37 am  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

What sort of an update are you looking for? The Easter services were very good, particularly Easter Eve. The Archdeacon's leaving to become Dean of Southwell. The Bishop's complaining about the lack of articulate Christian argument against Richard Dawkins.

11:23 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I did visit Brecon Cathedral with my folks over Easter. Very impressive. Although Wales is more like England than we might have you believe, it is obviously a bit smaller, so rather like a sauce which is reduced down to make it more flavoursome.

So I guess it is like an equivalent of Winchester, rather than say Wells, whose size for the size of town [city?] it is in compares with St.David's in Wales.

Many of the soldiers from the barracks at Brecon are commemorated there. It is very old, and unlike some of the more 'touristy' heritage centres, has one with very good historical background. It even has a few spears and shields from the battle of Rourke's Drift.

I visited Wells Cathedral on Saturday and was amazed at the age of some of the contents. They seem to be making reasonable progress with raising funds to keep renewal of the building up to date, which will allow access to an under-crypt and access to conference rooms and disabled access, without spoiling the essential character of the old building.

12:06 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmm..I still have 'The Blind Watchmaker' on my 'unread books' pile I'm afraid. Dawkins seems to have made his mind up first, and fitted the facts to follow. I don't believe he understands that you can't 'prove' that God doesn't exist, and more than you can 'prove' that he does.

Your bishop may already be aware of a book called 'The Dawkins Delusion' but I have no idea how cogent it is, or who the author is.

12:09 pm  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

I haven't been to Brecon or Wells. They sound wonderful.

1:38 pm  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

I agree with what you say about Dawkins and am just about to start The Blind Watchmaker

1:39 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Whilst it is easy to recommend a trip all the way to Wells to see the Cathedral and gardens, a visit to Brecon might be best combined with a visit to the Jazz Festival.

http://www.breconjazz.co.uk/

If jazz isn't your bag, then you could always trip across as part of a visit to the Hay-On-Wye literature festival.

http://www.hayfestival.com/

That said, Brecon and Hay aren't exactly a ten-minute walk apart.

2:09 pm  
Blogger Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I love that poem, WW. It says it all.

7:36 pm  

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