Speak of the Splendor

View the Poetry Friday roundup at just another day of Catholic pondering.

Dulce Et Decorum Est
by Wilfred Owen

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 disappointed shells that dropped 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 floundering 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,
Obscene as cancer, 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.

DULCE ET DECORUM EST – the first words of a Latin saying (taken from an ode by Horace). The words were widely understood and often quoted at the start of the First World War. They mean “It is sweet and right.” The full saying ends the poem: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori – it is sweet and right to die for your country. In other words, it is a wonderful and great honour to fight and die for your country. (Explanation note taken from this site.)

In my English 101 class we were given a handout to read during class. The handout didn’t have a title, but the description that best fits is A Selection of Excellent Writing. Excerpts from the Psalms, O. Henry, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Winston Churchill and others. Among the selections was this poem, Dulce Et Decorum Est. I volunteered to read it for the class, others had read different excerpts before me, and fell in love with Dulce.

In class was the first time I experienced this poem. The strong imagery and passionate words leave me breathless, and locked into the poem’s story. I believe I can see the face of the doomed soldier, and I can hear the dark, sorrowful, tormented voice of the man who witnessed, and relives, his brother’s demise.

Oh, to write with such passion, and precision.

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

So begins our Declaration of Independence. For those of you who do not know, I have a huge, awe-filled, love for the Declaration of our American Independence. Every time I read those simple, well-chosen words, the strength and emotion behind them set me shivering. Thomas Jefferson, the author of such a masterpiece, is a man whose writings I look up to, and aspire to, (and drool over, but I won’t get started.) I have written multiple essays, and a research paper on the specific topic, ‘Thomas Jefferson: Author of the Declaration of Independence.’ By no means am I a expert, but the more I research this topic, the more I am interested.

I am taking English 101 at our local community college over the summer. This class consists of four guys and seven girls, with a widely varying range of age, interest, and views. During class this evening we were discussing the topic of our first essay, The Declaration of Independence, through a series of questions asked by the class. Right off the bat, the first question, asked by Classmate John was this showstopper, “Why should the Declaration be re-written?”

*BLINK*

I’ve been prepared to be offended in college; I’ve been prepared to defend my faith, and my life style, but the Declaration of Independence? I thought we were all in agreement on this point. The question made me want to shout, “Is nothing sacred?!” …but then again, I don’t know if I want to hear their answers to that question. Anyway, as my mind began to settle down after the initial shock it suffered, I began to listen to all the grievances my classmates so easily poured out against the Declaration.

The Declaration is just too hard to read and comphrehend. Classmate Jane said, “I have so much going on I have no time to think.” …and so, no time to read the Declaration. Would this be easier?

“We say these right things are obvious, that all people are the same, that they all have rights that can’t be taken away, some of which are, to live, to do whatever we want, and to let loose.”

My classmates argued that they don’t have the time to decipher what is being said (gosh, TJ, u should’ve planned 4 the futr. *RME.*) Hey, I know what they mean (unfortunately.) In our world of fast food, ‘the Easy Life’ which you coincidentally find on ‘Easy Street’, running parallel to that road paved with good intentions, and ‘the bigger the better’ mentality, there isn’t time for any old fashioned mumbo-jumbo. Yeah…well, too bad! There is a reason we’re still reading, or attempting to read, this document! Not only did Jefferson work excruciatingly hard on the declaration, but it has impacted our world and continues to be of inspiration and influence. Also, newsflash: things are not supposed to be easy every moment of every day. In fact, I seem to find (curse my Irish luck) that when something is easy, it is often wrong!

“The Declaration should be re-written because it is out dated and doesn’t apply to today…and should be edited, maybe have the God part taken out.” This was another complaint. I see the Declaration as a measuring rod from 1776. When I read it, I try to measure how close we are, as a country, to the standard our Founding Fathers set for their new country. (Oh, by the way, did you know that the term ‘Founding Fathers’ is Politically Incorrect? Yeah, another tidbit I learned in class today…the PC term is ‘Founders.’) Do we still believe,

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it; and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

…or should I say,

“When people are trying to take our rights away, we need to stop it, and make new rules, formed on values, and set them up in a way so that everyone will be happy.”

The Declaration helps us to remember our roots, why we are blessed to have such an abundant and rich life. The Declaration still applies today as we are still Americans. *sigh* Oh, and that bit about the Separation of Church and State? Ay yi yi. How can we, as Americans and humans, honestly still believe that taking God out will solve our problems?

“Amend the Declaration!” My goodness, I laughed a little on the inside when I heard this. The Declaration is not policy. It is not the Constitution. The Declaration simply is what it is: a declaration of American freedom. It is because of the amazing way in which Jefferson conveyed this simple truth that the Declaration became so big in the eyes of America. There is absolutely no point in amending the Declaration, or writing a ‘Part Two.’ As my mother said, the proof is available for all to see, the Declaration of Independence did what it set out to do and did it to a level of excellence that is rarely seen.

As I was listening to this list of complaints being rationally explained by my classmates, I kept coming back to, “Edit something that Thomas Jefferson wrote?”

*gasp*wheeze*

Are you nuts?! Thomas Jefferson is arguably one of the brightest minds in the history of the United States (personally, I would say ‘in the history of the whole world,’ *big sweeping arm motions* but I’m a little biased towards my guy.) The proposition of editing the Declaration sounds so arrogant, so immature…so now. It would be like me, on a whim, taking a chisel to Michelangelo’s Pieta. Not a pretty thing, I assure you.

Now that I am reflecting on the events of the evening, I am proud of how I acted in class. (Actually I’m proud of how I am posting here in such a calm and restrained manner as well.) Indeed, I argued that, in fact, the Declaration of Independence does not need to be re-written. I was the, uh, only one who argued for this side, although I have a very strong suspicion that the Professor shares my view. More importantly, I did not go for the kill. Partly because that wouldn’t be the Christian thing to do, and partly because this is only the third class and I want to get an A in English 101. Even as the swirling haze of indignation started to fill my brain, I doubted that saying my classmates were acting thoughtlessly and pompously would secure my A.

Oh, another question asked in class was, “Why does history repeat itself?” We’re human beings born with original sin in dire need of a savior! …but I’m not going to go there.

Today was a very good day, but what I want to write about the most is the food. A unexpected food find. Marvelous.

While we were walking from Diamondback’s stadium (a part of our good day) to our vehicle, Mom and I noticed Karim’s Cobbler Shop and Deli. Rather, we noticed the large sign in the window proclaiming ‘Peach Cobbler.’ Coincidentally Mom and I had been talking about craving cobbler earlier today.

So, we told the boys to wait for us, went into Karim’s, and bought a large serving of Peach Cobbler. Mom and I took the two spoons, walked outside, sat down, and proceeded to eat, and dissect, (like the good foodies we are) the cobbler.

It was very good.

The crust (crucial to the overall quality of the cobbler) was not too sweet, held up among all the juice, and provided enough ‘crunch’ to the peach’s ’smooth.’ The sauce was heavy on the nutmeg, we guessed some lemon, but no cinnamon. The peaches and sauce had been cooked down a good amount of time, resulting in a thick, flavorful juice. The ratio of sauce to crust to peach was perfect. Heaviest on the sauce, medium on the crust, and lightest on the peach. Cost us $4.50. To put things in perspective, I could buy one Ice Cream ‘Novelty’ (Dibs, etc.) at the ballpark for the same price.

The camera was across the street with Dad, and the cobbler was gone before we got to him, but here is a picture from the website (ours wasn’t a la mode):