Next year will be the big 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. From the British imperial perspective, it meant "a century of peace" in Europe (for the British) -- until the Great War of 1914-1918. A skewed perspective, given that wars large and small continued not only in Europe, but around the globe. But Waterloo is worth remembering for any number of other reasons.
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
(From William Blake, "The Tyger," 1794)
These are samples of a larger corpus of text-based artifacts picked up over the last thirty years by family and friends, during pilgrimages to Waterloo in particular and Belgium in general. 
Je me souviens: Waterloo 199 (1815-2014). Now, on to Brussels!
1 comment:
Strangely, I've seen Napoleon in a couple of blog posts today. I read quite a bit about him once upon a time but have forgotten most of that
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