Publius & Co.

Wednesday is Poetry Day

One thing that is little-known about me is that I enjoy poetry. I'm not a poetry geek, nor do I make any attempt at writing it, if only because I think any poetry I produce would make Vogon poetry sound like Shakespeare. But I do enjoy a good poem, and I've always enjoyed Poetry Day at annika's. Today, annika reminds us it is Robert Burns's birthday.

There's a snippet of a Burns poem that is seared (seared!) into my memory. I first read it in the most excellent The Forever War* by Joe Haldeman. It's an appropriate choice for this book, as the poem commemorates the Battle of Bannockburn in the form of a fictional address by Robert the Bruce to his army. Burns has Robert speaking this to his army as, basically, a pre-game speech. I'm sure Robert did give his army a speech of some sort; whatever it really was is lost to history but it must have worked: the Scots kicked King Edward's ass.

In The Forever War the first stanza is used as a hypnotic trigger to turn an army into a bunch of blood-thirsty killers. In my opinion, Scots Wha' Hae' is so powerful and stirring a poem the fictional Sgt. Cortez probably could've just read the poem to his troops to turn them into a bunch of bloodthisty killers.

Scots Wha' Hae'

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome to your gory bed
Or to victorie!

Now's the day, and now's the hour:
See the front o' battle lour,
See approach proud Edward's power
Chains and slaverie!

Wha will be a traitor knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn, and fleel

Wha for Scotland's King and Law
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Freeman stand, or freeman fa',
Let him follow me!

By Oppression's woes and pains,
By your sons in servile chains,
We will drain our dearest veins
But they shall be free!

I understand it's traditional to have a dram of Scotch today to commemorate Mr. Burns's birthday; sadly, I can't stand that stuff. But I'm sure I can find something that will make a perfectly reasonable substitute, and I'll enjoy a post-dinner drink of...something. It's been awhile since I've dug thru the liquor cabinet.

*If you've never read The Forever War I can give you a quick synopsis: Take Starship Troopers, pass it thru a post-Sixties Vietnam disillusionment filter, have it written by a Vietnam vet to add some authenticity to the battle scenes, and that's it.

If you've never read Starship Troopers, why haven't you?

Posted by Victor at Enero 25, 2006 08:53 AM | TrackBack