So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When Duty whispers low, Thou must,
The youth replies, I can.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
So near is God to man,
When Duty whispers low, Thou must,
The youth replies, I can.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I first saw this poem when I was preparing my high school junior year poetry assignment. I was choosing poems related to “Courage” although some of them seemed chosen as a lament against sending off young men to fight wars for old men. That was such a long time ago…and I feel even more strongly today.
I guess I’m in a contemplative mood because I’m show chair (manager) for the next two Saluki Nationals (our big show for the year.) Not quite sure what prompted me to put in an application…yikes! The chair is involved in pretty much everything to do with the show, which includes what goes into the catalog. One page is dedicated to Saluki people we lost since the last show. That damned list just gets longer and longer.
Recent losses of public people have caused such personal grief. I went looking for a specific song, and found this version
The significance of this version? From the You Tube page:
***
This version was recorded in memory of the Dunblane Massacre 13 March 1996, were 16 children and one adult got killed.
A new verse was written, and the children choir who sing the chorus are brothers and sisters of the victims.
The song was released 9 December 1996, and it reached number 1. The proceeds went to charities for children.
This version was recorded in memory of the Dunblane Massacre 13 March 1996, were 16 children and one adult got killed.
A new verse was written, and the children choir who sing the chorus are brothers and sisters of the victims.
The song was released 9 December 1996, and it reached number 1. The proceeds went to charities for children.
New verse;
Lord these guns have caused too much pain
This town will never be the same
So for the bairns of Dunblane
We ask please never again***
Lord these guns have caused too much pain
This town will never be the same
So for the bairns of Dunblane
We ask please never again***
Sadly we can’t do much about the people we lose to illness or accident. But how long are we going to keep throwing people in harm’s way? And how long will we keep hurting each other? I used Peter Paul and Mary a few blogs ago. And I found Bob Dylan, with his own interpretation.
“How many deaths will it take…??”
Mona Karel Author 
And it just gets worse. The greedy kill for lust and land. There is no end. I grieve for what is to come and what kind of a world will be left for my wondrous granddaughter. She plays, so happy with plans for when she’s eight next year. To play the clarinet is one goal. I want to live forever to watch her grow into the woman of promise. In my private thoughts I wonder, dear God, what a world will be left.
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No sad Saluki’s in your world, Mona. You won’t allow it.
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Only when they don’t get their way!
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Congrats on the new post, Mona! And thank you for sharing even while feeling grieved, Mona. I’ve been there in recent months, too, often because the state of the world so often breaks my heart. I ask God for grace and peace over all of us and that we’ll find a way to love each other more. Appreciate the honesty in your posts!
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