DLTK's Poems
St. Crispin's Day
Speech from Henry V
<ENTER THE KING>
WESTMORELAND
O that we now had here
But one ten
thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!
KING HENRY V
What's he that wishes so?
My cousin
Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin:
If we are mark'd to die,
we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I
pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous
for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It
yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things
dwell not in my desires:
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish
not a man from England:
God's peace! I would not lose so
great an honour
As one man more, methinks, would share from
me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he
which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his
passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his
purse:
We would not die in that man's company
That fears
his fellowship to die with us.
This day is called the feast
of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand
a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name
of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say
'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve
and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's
day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll
remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then
shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot,
Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly
remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to
the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day
that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he
ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And
gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves
accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap
whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's
day.
