The Telegraph reports:
"English Heritage has launched a campaign to dispel the apathy surrounding St George’s Day and encourage more people to celebrate their patron saint."English Heritage have produced a guide Top Celebration Tips which can be downloaded from their website.
"As the custodian of some of England’s most important landmarks and buildings, we're encouraging everyone to join together on this important day, whether at work, school or at home, to celebrate our national saint. As a nation, we have a lot to be proud of, from our beautiful countryside and architecture to the historical figures that played an important part in making England what it is today."In addition to this they commissioned a new poem to celebrate the day:
THE TRUE DRAGON
St George was out walking
He met a dragon on a hill,
It was wise and wonderful
Too glorious to kill
It slept amongst the wild thyme
Where the oxlips and violets grow
Its skin was a luminous fire
That made the English landscape glow
Its tears were England’s crystal rivers
Its breath the mist on England’s moors
Its larder was England’s orchards,
Its house was without doors
St George was in awe of it
It was a thing apart
He hid the sleeping dragon
Inside every English heart
So on this day let’s celebrate
England’s valleys full of light,
The green fire of the landscape
Lakes shivering with delight
Let’s celebrate St George’s Day,
The dragon in repose;
The brilliant lark ascending,
The yew, the oak, the rose
Brian Patten
St George was out walking
He met a dragon on a hill,
It was wise and wonderful
Too glorious to kill
It slept amongst the wild thyme
Where the oxlips and violets grow
Its skin was a luminous fire
That made the English landscape glow
Its tears were England’s crystal rivers
Its breath the mist on England’s moors
Its larder was England’s orchards,
Its house was without doors
St George was in awe of it
It was a thing apart
He hid the sleeping dragon
Inside every English heart
So on this day let’s celebrate
England’s valleys full of light,
The green fire of the landscape
Lakes shivering with delight
Let’s celebrate St George’s Day,
The dragon in repose;
The brilliant lark ascending,
The yew, the oak, the rose
Brian Patten
17 comments:
We will toast St. George tonight.
The wine is chilling and hopefully I will be soon! LOL!
(Oh and The Apprentice is on at 9pm!)
Thank you for sharing about English heritage and your National Day. My relatives emigrated from England to Canada and the States many years ago and didn't keep up the traditions by the time I came along.
I chose N is for nummies. What's that you say? Click here to find out. – Margy
"Follow your spirit; and, upon this charge, cry God for Harry, England and St. George!"
Happy St. George's Day everyone!
D - I shall share that toast with you :-)
powell river books - Thank You for vising and your interest in our national day :-) You have got me intrigued, I shall be over soon :-)
Andi - Cheers, how was the Bombardier?
The Bombardier is served from the cask... What more could be asked?
Unfortunately, it's ben hi-jacked by the far right, which does make me uncomfortable with it.
Fortunately Paddy's day has no such baggage:)
I'm not sure wgere the tale orginates, but the best version is to be found (like with all hagiographies), in the Golden Legend, which is probably online somewhere.
So that interfering dragon-killer is being rehabilitated. I might stop disapproving of him now!
Crushed - I don't subscribe to hi-jacking from the right or the left. When politics get involved I get uncomfortable about a lot of stuff!
I will check out the Golden Legend, I have not heard of that before.
Dragonstar - It is a lovely unusual poem isn't it :-)
Crushed - I see the Golden Legend version is different from the more commonly told version!
It is the standard version...
For a really novel treatment, read the first book of Spenser's Faerie Queene :)
It might be the standard version, the only version I knew was where the dragon got slayed! It is interesting to learn different versions though :-)
I never realised St George's Day had such a big following.
Nunyaa - Part of it is that the way the UK politics have worked has pushed England to one side. Ireland, Scotland and Wales (alphabetical order!!!) in one way or another have been allowed to stand up for themselves. There is quite a lot too it but I don't want to bore the pants of you!
I think poor St George is overworked what with him being patron saint of so many things! Actually I like the sound of Catalonian celebrations. Gifts of roses and books. I wouldn't mind us taking on something like that
Jams - He can bring me books anytime, but I think he probably needs a rest :-)
Superb, the poem.
James - I thought it was nice, a bit different.
Post a Comment