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[jim in paris]

hi all
i followed the royal marriage ceremonies and it was a great occasion to feed my students with true british culture : from the expression "bachelor of arts" which doesn't mean studying painting... to "the realm countries" ex commonwealth countries which still have The Queen for monarch ( canada and many others ..°) //... etc ...
anyway
when they played this hymn : "jerusalem" based on a poem by william blake (with the awkward "dark satanic mills" expression which has inspired english activists /socialists)
.....I had heard this piece in a church in salisbury on a st georges' day 20 years back... well ...
and studied the poem at university.....
i don't know why but tears came to my eyes ...
i wonder if it was the context or the music.....

signing off

jim

[ta0]

Had the French exported the guillotine to England we would have been spared of all of this nonsense.

[the Earl of Whirl]

Dear Jim,

I did not plan to get up to watch the royal wedding proceedings, but I happened to wake up and ended up watching it all.  It was a good time to reflect upon cultural differences.  I still think it is a shame the groom had to wait almost 2 1/2 hours for a kiss!

And the song you referred to has been an influence on me for many years.  It goes all the way back to the movie "Chariots of Fire".  They use the song at the funeral for the 100 meter champion, Harold Abrahams.  The words actually gave the movie its title.

Here is my favorite verse:
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!