April 24, 2006

Happy St. George's Day!

St. George.jpg

(Actually yesterday, but I was otherwise occupied.)

How about a little John Dryden to celebrate the Patron Saint of England:

HONOUR
Saint George, the patron of our Isle,
A soldier and a saint,
On this auspicious order smile,
Which love and arms will plant.

CHORUS
Our natives not alone appear
To court the martial prize;
But foreign kings adopted here
Their crowns at home despise.
Our Sov'reign high, 'in awful state,
His honours shall bestow;
and see his sceptred subjects wait
On his commands below.

(From Henry Purcell's 1691 semi-opera King Arthur, for which Dryden wrote the libretto.)

Posted by Robert at April 24, 2006 12:36 PM | TrackBack
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