Ode of Remembrance
Encyclopedia
The "Ode of Remembrance" is an ode
taken from Laurence Binyon
's poem "For the Fallen", which was first published in The Times
in September 1914.
The poet wrote For the Fallen, which has seven stanzas, while sitting on the cliffs between Pentire Point
and The Rumps
in north Cornwall
, UK. A stone plaque was erected at the spot in 2001 to commemorate the fact. The plaque bears the inscription
However there is also a plaque on the beehive monument on the East Cliff above Portreath
in central North Cornwall which cites that as the place where Binyon composed the poem.
The poem honoured the World War I
British war dead of that time and in particular the British Expeditionary Force, which had by then already had high casualty rates on the developing Western Front. The poem was published when the Battle of the Marne
was foremost in people's minds.
Over time, the third and fourth stanzas of the poem (although often just the fourth) were claimed as a tribute to all casualties of war, regardless of state.
The line Lest we forget is often added to the end of the ode, which is repeated in response by those listening,
especially in Australia. In the United Kingdom and New Zealand, the final line of the ode, "We will remember them", is repeated in response. In Canada, the last stanza of the above extract has become known as the Act of Remembrance
, and the final line is also repeated.
The "Ode of Remembrance" is regularly recited at memorial services held on days commemorating World War I, such as ANZAC Day
, Remembrance Day
, and Remembrance Sunday
. In Australia's Returned and Services Leagues, it is read out nightly at 6 p.m., followed by a minute's silence. In New Zealand it is part of the Dawn service at 6 a.m. Recitations of the "Ode of Remembrance" are often followed by a playing of the Last Post
. In Canadian remembrance services, a French translation is often used along with or instead of the English ode.
set to music three of Binyon's poems ("The Fourth of August", "To Women", and "For the Fallen", published within the collection "The Winnowing Fan") as The Spirit of England, Op. 80, for tenor or soprano solo, chorus and orchestra (1917). His setting of "For the Fallen" sparked some controversy as it was published shortly after another setting of the same poem by the composer Cyril Rootham
. Neither composer was responsible for this, and Elgar initially offered to withdraw but was persuaded to continue by the literary and art critic Sidney Colvin
and by Binyon himself.
"They shall grow not old..." was set to music
by Douglas Guest
in 1971, and has become a well-known feature of choral services on Remembrance Sunday
. Nottingham-based composer Alex Patterson also wrote a setting of the text in 2010 . The text of For the Fallen has also been set by Mark Blatchly for treble voices, organ and trumpet (which plays The Last Post
in the background).
Time of our Darkness
, the title of a novel by South African author Stephen Gray
, is a reference to the last two lines of For the Fallen: 'As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, To the end, to the end they remain.'
, with little debate in other Commonwealth
countries that mark Remembrance Day
.
Ode
Ode is a type of lyrical verse. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. Different forms such as the homostrophic ode and the irregular ode also exist...
taken from Laurence Binyon
Laurence Binyon
Robert Laurence Binyon was an English poet, dramatist and art scholar. His most famous work, For the Fallen, is well known for being used in Remembrance Sunday services....
's poem "For the Fallen", which was first published in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in September 1914.
Pentire Point
Pentire Head is a headland and peninsula on the Atlantic coast in North Cornwall, England, UK and is approx one mile square. The headland projects north-west with Pentire Point at its north-west corner and The Rumps promontory at its north-east corner....
and The Rumps
The Rumps
The Rumps is a twin-headland promontory at the north-east corner of Pentire Head in north Cornwall, United Kingdom.The promontory is formed from hard basaltic rock and projects north into the Atlantic Ocean. Its headlands lie east-to-west...
in north Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, UK. A stone plaque was erected at the spot in 2001 to commemorate the fact. The plaque bears the inscription
- For the Fallen
- Composed on these cliffs 1914
However there is also a plaque on the beehive monument on the East Cliff above Portreath
Portreath
Portreath is a civil parish, village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately three miles northwest of Redruth....
in central North Cornwall which cites that as the place where Binyon composed the poem.
The poem honoured the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
British war dead of that time and in particular the British Expeditionary Force, which had by then already had high casualty rates on the developing Western Front. The poem was published when the Battle of the Marne
Battle of the Marne
There were two Battles of the Marne, taking place near the Marne River in Marne, France during World War I:* First Battle of the Marne * Second Battle of the Marne...
was foremost in people's minds.
Over time, the third and fourth stanzas of the poem (although often just the fourth) were claimed as a tribute to all casualties of war, regardless of state.
- They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
- Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
- They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
- They fell with their faces to the foe.
- They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
- Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
- At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
- We will remember them.
The line Lest we forget is often added to the end of the ode, which is repeated in response by those listening,
especially in Australia. In the United Kingdom and New Zealand, the final line of the ode, "We will remember them", is repeated in response. In Canada, the last stanza of the above extract has become known as the Act of Remembrance
Act of Remembrance
The Act of Remembrance is an extract from the poem "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon. The Act has become a common feature of Remembrance Day services in Canada, including the national service in Ottawa.-The Act:...
, and the final line is also repeated.
The "Ode of Remembrance" is regularly recited at memorial services held on days commemorating World War I, such as ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all...
, Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...
, and Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday
In the United Kingdom, 'Remembrance Sunday' is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day. It is the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m...
. In Australia's Returned and Services Leagues, it is read out nightly at 6 p.m., followed by a minute's silence. In New Zealand it is part of the Dawn service at 6 a.m. Recitations of the "Ode of Remembrance" are often followed by a playing of the Last Post
Last Post
The "Last Post" can be either a B♭ bugle call within British Infantry regiments or an E♭ cavalry trumpet call in British Cavalry and Royal Regiment of Artillery used at Commonwealth military funerals and ceremonies commemorating those who have been killed in war.The two regimental traditions have...
. In Canadian remembrance services, a French translation is often used along with or instead of the English ode.
Musical settings
Sir Edward ElgarEdward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
set to music three of Binyon's poems ("The Fourth of August", "To Women", and "For the Fallen", published within the collection "The Winnowing Fan") as The Spirit of England, Op. 80, for tenor or soprano solo, chorus and orchestra (1917). His setting of "For the Fallen" sparked some controversy as it was published shortly after another setting of the same poem by the composer Cyril Rootham
Cyril Rootham
Cyril Bradley Rootham was an English composer, educator, organist and important figure in Cambridge music life.-Biography:...
. Neither composer was responsible for this, and Elgar initially offered to withdraw but was persuaded to continue by the literary and art critic Sidney Colvin
Sidney Colvin
Sidney Colvin was an English curator and literary and art critic, part of the illustrious Anglo-Indian Colvin family. He is primarily remembered for his friendship with Robert Louis Stevenson.-Biography:...
and by Binyon himself.
"They shall grow not old..." was set to music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
by Douglas Guest
Douglas Guest
Douglas Albert Guest CVO was an English organist, conductor, teacher and composer.-Education:Guest was born in Mortomley, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England and studied originally at the Royal College of Music and became Organ Scholar of the King's College, Cambridge from 1935 until...
in 1971, and has become a well-known feature of choral services on Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday
In the United Kingdom, 'Remembrance Sunday' is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day. It is the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m...
. Nottingham-based composer Alex Patterson also wrote a setting of the text in 2010 . The text of For the Fallen has also been set by Mark Blatchly for treble voices, organ and trumpet (which plays The Last Post
Last Post
The "Last Post" can be either a B♭ bugle call within British Infantry regiments or an E♭ cavalry trumpet call in British Cavalry and Royal Regiment of Artillery used at Commonwealth military funerals and ceremonies commemorating those who have been killed in war.The two regimental traditions have...
in the background).
Time of our Darkness
Time of our Darkness
Time of our Darkness is a novel by South African author Stephen Gray. It tells the story of a homosexual teacher in 1980s Apartheid South Africa and his relationship with his long-term partner and a young black boy....
, the title of a novel by South African author Stephen Gray
Stephen Gray (writer)
Stephen Gray is a South African writer and critic who was born in Cape Town in 1941. He studied at the University of Cape Town, Cambridge University, England, and the University of Iowa, USA. Until 1992 he was Professor of English at the Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg.Gray is a prolific...
, is a reference to the last two lines of For the Fallen: 'As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, To the end, to the end they remain.'
'Condemn' or 'contemn'?
There has been some debate as to whether the line “Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn” should end with the words ‘condemn’ or ‘contemn’. Contemn means to ‘despise’ therefore either word would make sense in the context of the stanza. When the poem was first printed in The Times on 21 September 1914 the word ‘condemn’ was used. This word was also used in the anthology The Winnowing Fan: Poems of the Great War in 1914 in which the poem was published later. If the original publication had contained a misprint Binyon would have had the chance to make amendments, so it seems unlikely that the word 'contemn' was meant. The issue of what word was meant seems only to have arisen in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, with little debate in other Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
countries that mark Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...
.