Today, on what I hope is a momentous and joyous occasion, I wanted to quote from the Bard. And amazingly enough, I found a seldom-quoted draft of one of his better known speeches. I guess it wasn’t his fault that November 7th has a saint with such a dorky name . . .
This day is call’d the feast of Willibrord.
They that outlive this day, and come safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse them at the name of Willibrord.
They that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast their neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Willibrord.’
Then will they strip their sleeve and show their scars,
And say ‘These wounds I had on Willibrord’s day.’
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But they’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats they did that day. Then shall our logins,
Familiar in their mouths as household words-
Refinish69 and Second Nature,
BooMan, Isis, Psifighter37,
Man Eegee and Dada and the rest-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Willibrord — Willibrord 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 bloggers;
For those to-day that shed their blood with me
Shall be my kin; and be they ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle their condition;
And slackers in this country now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their ballots cheap whilst any speaks
That on Saint Willibrord’s day reclaimed their country.
They that outlive this day, and come safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse them at the name of Willibrord.
They that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast their neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Willibrord.’
Then will they strip their sleeve and show their scars,
And say ‘These wounds I had on Willibrord’s day.’
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But they’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats they did that day. Then shall our logins,
Familiar in their mouths as household words-
Refinish69 and Second Nature,
BooMan, Isis, Psifighter37,
Man Eegee and Dada and the rest-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Willibrord — Willibrord 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 bloggers;
For those to-day that shed their blood with me
Shall be my kin; and be they ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle their condition;
And slackers in this country now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their ballots cheap whilst any speaks
That on Saint Willibrord’s day reclaimed their country.
