WikiWirral its great, register, enjoy and welcome.
Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics76,361
Posts1,033,314
Members14,578
Most Online16,551
Feb 2nd, 2024
Who's Online Now
14 members (4 invisible), 9,722 guests, and 483 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters
sunnyside 45,164
MattLFC 22,315
Mark 21,269
granny 17,788
_Ste_ 16,345
Newest Members
PaulRobson, meolswanderer, Firminafirm, YesterYearGenea, Luke121
14,578 Registered Users
New General Forums
Hi to everyone
by PaulRobson - 15th Apr 2024 1:18pm
Last person to post wins...
by GaryB - 9th Oct 2007 9:15pm
New Wirral History
Moreton History
by IanFife - 1st Apr 2024 1:03pm
Campbell Terrace, behind old St. Andrew's Church on Conway
by KimTheilmann1 - 31st Mar 2024 3:34pm
Tall Brick Chimneys
by diggingdeeper - 16th Mar 2024 12:56pm
Through the Window: GWR Paddington to Birkenhead
by yoller - 16th Aug 2017 7:09pm
Old Hall in Higher Bebington
by Rhoobarb - 25th May 2010 6:55pm
Top Posters(30 Days)
bert1 5
casper 4
Topic Replies
recommendation, please
by muzzy2 - 16th Apr 2024 7:39pm
Car paint jobs
by PaulRobson - 15th Apr 2024 9:54pm
Hi to everyone
by PaulRobson - 15th Apr 2024 1:18pm
Traffic Wardens
by diggingdeeper - 14th Apr 2024 2:42pm
West Kirby flood defences
by Excoriator - 13th Apr 2024 3:35pm
Lost river (Well, brook really)
by diggingdeeper - 10th Apr 2024 11:00pm
Any Decent Restaurant Open On a Mon Evening.
by Abakumss - 8th Apr 2024 9:04am
Paddle Steamer Waverley
by casper - 6th Apr 2024 9:09am
Wirral waters
by casper - 6th Apr 2024 9:07am
April
M T W T F S S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30
Top Likes Received (30 Days)
casper 1
cools 1
Kylix 1
Top Likes Received
bert1 14
casper 4
Mark 4
granny 3
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 3,973
Forum Guardian
OP Offline
Forum Guardian
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 3,973
Dulce et Decorum est


Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! -- An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime. --
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs
Bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, --
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.


Every dog has its day!
Google Ads
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 783
Wise One
Offline
Wise One
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 783
Excellent and very fitting with Rememberance day. Love Wilfred Owen

Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 907
Guardian
Offline
Guardian
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 907
Nice poem. It certainly goes against the grain of the way the military and war are over-romantised these days. Wilfred Owen did not glorify war or call soldiers heroes. Instead reflected on its brutal nature. Mostly innocent young men being sent as lambs to the slaughter by the powers that be.

World War One was basically just European Imperial powers just destroying a whole generation of each others young men. The whole thing was done just to satisfy the egos of the ruling classes. The wonderful Blackadder Goes Forth summed this up beautifully.

World War Two was a little different as Hitler was a dangerous menace that had to be defeated. Many brave soldiers fought against the Nazis. But lets also remember the brave merchant seamen, the coal miners, the land girls etc all just as important.

More recent wars like Afghanistan and Iraq are just part of a very dubious foreign policy. Countless innocent civilians killed alongside British and American troops for what? Oil? Getting rid of nutjobs like Saddam Hussein and the Taliban that we'd put there in the first place. All victims of war should be remembered every November 11th. We should also remember the po-faced politicians and royalty who caused all this trouble throughout human history. They'll all be at the cenotaph with their empty words.

Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 261
Addict
Offline
Addict
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 261
What a very poignant and relevent poem.

Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.

Roughly translates as....'it is sweet and beautiful to die for your native land'.


Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 907
Guardian
Offline
Guardian
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 907
Owen apparently dedicated this poem to Jessie Pope, a poet who tried to get young men to sign up to the military. This poem shows the horible reality of war. In total contrast to the romanticised crap of Pope.

P
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
P
Thanks pp. Great stuff.

Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
Forum Veteran
Offline
Forum Veteran
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
The origin of the phrase is from an ode by Horace.

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori:
mors et fugacem persequitur virum
nec parcit inbellis iuventae
poplitibus timidove tergo.

"How sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country:
Death pursues the man who flees,
spares not the hamstrings or cowardly backs
Of battle-shy youths."


Carpe diem.
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 783
Wise One
Offline
Wise One
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 783
Anyone listen to Pink Floyd - The Final Cut?

Some very deep and thought provoking lyrics on the subject. One of their most underrated albums.

Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 574
Smartchild
Offline
Smartchild
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 574
I wonder sometimes at people's perception of Horace. Was he ever in a battle? I'm not too sure-never read him much, but I would venture to suggest he may have been more of a politician. That sentiment stinks of hypocrisy. War is just a lot of bollox. No heroes. No cowards. Nothing but propaganda. Most folks just want to live in peace and quiet. If you put 6 children of different ethnicity in a room-they would all play together. The problem comes when they get f**ked up by adults. Philip Larkin is much more perceptive than Horace!!

Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
Forum Veteran
Offline
Forum Veteran
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
Horace can hardly have been considered a military man; he was briefly an officer in Brutus's army, defeated at the battle of Philippi, where he is reputed to have fled, leaving his shield behind.
I agree that the sentiments expressed in "Dulce et Decorum Est" are hypocritical.


Carpe diem.
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
Forum Veteran
Offline
Forum Veteran
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
Oh, for those who don't get the Philip Larkin reference:

Philip Larkin - This Be The Verse

They f**k you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were f**ked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.


Carpe diem.
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 574
Smartchild
Offline
Smartchild
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 574
Yep, CK. That's the poem I was referring to. I just wish we could pass on some happiness. There's lots of it out there if you try to look. The world is still a great place to be in-unless you're a bigot. Handy exercise-look in the mirror and frown at yourself. Next-look in the mirror and smile at yourself. Which makes you feel better? Know why it makes you feel better? Because it's harder to smile, but the end result is worth the effort!! :-)


Moderated by  Mod 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Random Wirral Images

Click to View Topic.
Newest Topics
recommendation, please
by muzzy2 - 16th Apr 2024 7:39pm
Car paint jobs
by PaulRobson - 15th Apr 2024 9:54pm
Hi to everyone
by PaulRobson - 15th Apr 2024 1:18pm
Traffic Wardens
by Excoriator - 11th Apr 2024 4:11pm
West Kirby flood defences
by Excoriator - 10th Apr 2024 10:45pm
For Sale & Free
Wisper electric bike. 36v .
by Dilly - 21st Mar 2024 8:36pm
This is Elvis
by GingerTom - 17th Mar 2024 3:37pm
Member Spotlight
Gibbo
Gibbo
Formby
Posts: 2,283
Joined: December 2010
Today's Birthdays
There are no members with birthdays on this day.
New Wirral Info
recommendation, please
by muzzy2 - 16th Apr 2024 7:39pm
Traffic Wardens
by Excoriator - 11th Apr 2024 4:11pm
Paddle Steamer Waverley
by diggingdeeper - 5th Apr 2024 7:57am
Wirral waters
by casper - 2nd Apr 2024 11:32am
Facial recognition coming in supermarkets?
by Excoriator - 27th Mar 2024 11:52am
News : New Topics
West Kirby flood defences
by Excoriator - 10th Apr 2024 10:45pm
Lost river (Well, brook really)
by Excoriator - 10th Sep 2019 9:50am
New Enthusiast Forums
Car paint jobs
by PaulRobson - 15th Apr 2024 9:54pm
Netflix 3 Body Problem.
by BultacoAstro - 22nd Mar 2024 9:04am
Any Decent Restaurant Open On a Mon Evening.
by Uffda - 21st Oct 2012 7:16pm
What song are you listening to?
by - 24th Jun 2007 10:06am
Popular Topics(Views)
5,071,121 WIKI WALK CHAT
4,017,121 Spotted!
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5