'In Flanders Fields' by John McCrae [story about poem and poet] [ + lyrics | +meaning ]

John McCrae was a Canadian poet, physician and soldier. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Toronto. He suffered from recurring asthma from his youth. He worked as a physician in many medical institutions including Toronto General Hospital and Johns Hopkins Hospital. He served in the Boer War in South Africa as an artillery officer in Canadian military and later was promoted to the rank of major. When World War I broke out, he reenlisted in the Canadian Army and was stationed in Ypres, Belgium, in the area known as “Flanders.” During the war, his asthma worsened, and he died from pneumonia in 1918 at the age of 45.

#RemembranceDay #MemorialDay #CanadianPoem

In the poem, the speaker describes poppies blooming around the soldiers’ graves in the field in Flanders, Belgium. He reminds the reader of the lost lives and urges to stand up against the enemies to not let down the fallen. The poet reportedly wrote this poem on the next day after his closest friend’s death in the battlefield of Ypres, Belgium. The poem has been very popular and is still used in Remembrance Day and Memorial Day celebrations in the US, Canada, and Europe

poem

"In Flanders Fields" by 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.

music

-To you who I miss, mupot
-Thank you for the great work today, BGM factory

[rabbitoutofahat]

This poem is beautifully written. Thank you for sharing the poem!🙏