Here is Luke reciting The Destruction of Sennacherib by Lord Byron. (Grandma and Grandpa, I thought you would enjoy this one!)
The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.
Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green,
That host with their banners at sunset were seen:
Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown,
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.
For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!
And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide,
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride;
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.
And there lay the rider distorted and pale,
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail:
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone,
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.
And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord.
I really enjoyed this. I hope you will post more ideas for poetry that goes with history. Have you posted this elsewhere and I missed it? My daughters are going to be soooo thrilled when I tell them tomorrow that we are going to memorize this before we switch to our summer schedule in two weeks! :)
ReplyDeleteThat was amazing, Luke!! And for you, too, Heidi who had to have a part in coaching him some. Grandpa wants me to use the word "fabulous" for his comment. We could also say, incredible. Grandma and Grandpa
ReplyDeleteI listed the few poems that we are memorizing this year (ancient history) at the bottom of this post: http://mthopeacademy.blogspot.com/2013/02/mt-hope-academy-curricula-literature.html
ReplyDeleteI'm working on our list for this next year (Medieval/early Renaissance). This is a very tentative list (we probably won't memorize all of it, and I'll post it again with our new plans/resources for next year):
St. Patrick’s Prayer (400)
May the Strength of God pilot us.
May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Shield of God defend us.
May the Host of God guard us.
Against the snares of the evil ones.
Against temptations of the world
May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us,
Christ be over all!
May Thy Salvation, Lord,
Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and evermore. Amen.
A selection from Beowulf (we have a verse retelling by Ian Serraillier that I love--I'll just pick a few lines)
The Lady of Shallot by Tennyson
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi (1200)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
Heidelberg Catechism (1500) (first question and answer)
"What is your only comfort in life and death?"
The answer is:
"That I am not my own, but belong--body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me whole-heartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him."
Shakespeare (1600) (from The Young Person’s Guide to Shakespeare):
Hamlet, Act III, sc. ii, 1-8 (“Speak the speech, I pray you…”)
As You Like It, Act II, sc. vii, 139-166 (“All the world’s a stage…”)
Henry V, Act III, sc. I, 1-34 (“Once more unto the breach, dear friends…”)
Hamlet, Act III, sc. I, 58-90 (“To be, or not to be…”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Epilogue (“If we shadows have offended…”)
Sonnet 60 (“Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore…”)
Death Be Not Proud (or various quotes), John Donne (1610)
"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face."
"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent."