by phalarope » Sun Aug 24, 2014 05:37 pm
Ahem. Since the 14th is an important date for us colonials (and probably a footnote for you) in our mutual history*, I'd like to spend at least part of it with my wonderful British friends. I was toying with the idea of suggesting an attempt at Skyping, as noon BST is 7 am here. Doable? If yes, should there be a practice session with somebody?
*The morning of September 14, 1814 was the end of the bombardment of Fort McHenry and the Battle of Baltimore. Sunrise was at the equivalent of 6:50 am DST, but it had been a rainy night and the morning was not clear at dawn. All British fire stopped at 8 am (the 'dread silence'), and Francis Scott Key would have seen in the spreading daylight the inspiration for the following lines, which form the second verse of The Star-Spangled Banner.
On the shore, dimly seen thro’ the mist of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream;
’Tis the Star Spangled Banner, oh, long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
The first verse, the one we sing, is a question... "Oh say, can you see, by the dawn's early light . . does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave?" *punctuation mine* The second verse is his confirmation 'that the flag was still there'. It's really the one we ought to sing, but don't.
Sorry to hijack the thread, please resume normal service.
Cheers -
Carol (phalarope)
'The world is full of signals that we don't perceive.' -- Stephen Jay Gould, (1941-2002) paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, science historian
Oysters have 4 lips
X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett