Be yours to hold it high....

In Flanders Fields

John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

I was introduced to this poem through A'Capella last year, when we sang the words put to music by Paul A. Aitken. It's an incredible song. Anyway, it's about the fields in Flanders, Belgium, where many World War I battles were fought, notably the 3 battles of Ypres. After the thousands of casualties of Ypres, millions of red poppies sprang up, which are immortalized in this poem, and have become a symbol for lives lost through war. Powerful background to a beautiful poem. :)