St. Crispian's Day

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!" -- R.L. Stevenson's Treasure Island





Dear Kids, we just watched a pirated version of the Pirates of the Carribean 3 (ahoy there mateys! that was a good yarn of a joke, eh)

What's amazing is that hindi kayo takot sa facial tentacles ni Davy Jones.

Anyway, "Dead Man's Chest" here preserves what a Living Man's Chest contains: The Human Heart. In the movie, it contains the heart of the Captain of the Flying Dutchman.

I like the part in the movie when Keira Knightley, as the democratically elected pirate KING, rallied the sagging spirits of her crew. They were facing great odds against an overwhelming armada that represented tyranny (they hanged women and children at the beginning of the movie for exercising free speech, peaceful assembly and... for singing R&B) With a stirring speech reminiscent of Henry V's St. Crispian's Speech, she succeeded in forging together the waivering resolve of searats and other scums.

Darn. It gave me a vision. One day, when you guys are about to mount a hostile takeover of Microsoft, and your pencil pushing troops are weary, take a leaf from Henry V.

"...Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
ADELEINE SAGE, SABINE AYN, and SADIE ANN-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we Happy FEW. WE BAND OF BROTHERS!
For he (or she) that sheds his blood with me today
shall be my brother (and sistah)
be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day"

Men are ruled, dear kids, with WORDS and magic.

BTW, St. Crispian's Day is on the 25th of October. Let's not celebrate it. Talo ng England ang France, doon. Ka Asar.

I also just realized that the whole epic is just about the re-telling of the legend of the Flying Dutchman. It is just like Disney's sanitized version of the Grimm's Brother's tales about cinderella, snow white and sleeping beauty.

If you will google the real legend of the flying dutchman, it is not as sympathetic as the story of William and Elizabeth. But because of the 3 movies, your heart goes out to the two who only have 1 day, every 10 years to be together. 1 day, in 10 years... for all eternity.

If that's something I have to live with, I'll take it. It may not be forever, but it's for now.


"Two hearts beat as one together It may not be forever, but it's for NOW..."
-- John Parr's American Anthem OST