To be by blood and long descent
A member of a mighty State,
Whose greatness, main-girt, but unpent
By ocean, makes the World more great;
That, ranging limitless, hath won
A rule more wide than that of Rome,
And, journeying onward with the sun,
In every sea hath found a home;
That, keeping old traditions fast,
Still hails the things that are to be,
And firmly rooted in the past,
On law, hath grafted Liberty.
That is a birthright nobler far
Than titled claim or “Right Divine”
From far-off rapine, wanton war,
And I could feel this birthright mine.
And not the lowliest hand that drives
Or share or loom, if so it be
Of British strain, but thence derives
A Patent of Nobility.
- Alfred Austin
Alfred Austin (b. 1835) was Poet Laureate of England after Alfred Lord Tennyson. It seems he wasn’t very highly regarded as a poet, and as this source indicates, he was criticized for his ”jingoism” as well as his poetic style. Nevertheless, I like the old style of poetry and sometimes the message of the poem overshadows any fault one finds with the stylistic aspects of the poetry — which after all is a matter of personal preference to an extent.
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Hello BonnyBlue
Some of my posts do not seem to be appearing?
What do you think of British cuisine?
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Hi Puritan, sorry your posts seem to be getting caught in the spam filter. I’m not sure why.
About British cuisine — well just going by ordinary British food, not anything too fancy, I like it. I know that the English/British cuisine gets a lot of criticism, even from some who are born in the UK and brought up there. I wonder how much the eating habits of Britain have changed over the years, as in this country people scorn simple meals and eat more exotic foods. I suppose that’s part of the bargain with accepting diversity: food has to be ‘multicultural’ too.
I like the ‘full English’ breakfast; in fact that’s what my father liked for breakfast.
I love roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
Christmas foods –I like the things some Americans dislike — such as fruitcake or plum pudding.
English cheeses are good.
What’s your opinion on English or British food?
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Well I have gone vegetarian and use olive oil. The taste of butter has become hard to palate.My family has taught that beer is for trash, a bit of Cavalier semi-aristocrat attitudes here. I feel like British cuisine has evolved to partner with beer. Just glorified pub food. Of course I used to like all the fried Potatoes, hash browns, french fries etc. Now custard is something that was a worthy invention. Red Leicester cheese is what I used to go for. Pease soup made from dried peas and vegetables with a good vinegar is a great dish that ought be back. I try to be clean eating
Our modern McFunnychemical diets is something that needs to be addressed. They hold us back. Countries like France with better diets have better health.
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I really love traditional British food, always have, I love roast beef, potatoes, green beans, turnips, carrots and peas. I also love spotted dick with custard or rhubarb and custard. I could never eat Indian food, especially not after seeing what I have
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A favourite of mine is Red Leicester cheese and bread and butter pudding
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It seems like cheap exotic food establishments are the the most visible sign of ethnic colonisation of the west.
McDonald’s and KFC are a good example of debasement of our diets. The Colonel was mad about what the corporate type did to his special recipes. Wallpaper paste gravy and damn fried doughball stuck on some chicken.
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Mutton was nice. Apple foods were good. Oatcakes are underappreciated.
Hello Artwork
How do you feel about Anglo Puritanism
Our culture definitely needs a good cleanse. I would like to see Latin script thrown out and new emphasis on our heritage.
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I’m all for Anglo Puritanism but not in the original sense, ie, no music and all that, but yes, I love the idea
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I found your posts to be very interesting, to think that our ancestors made the most difficult decisions and arduous voyages to The New World, America and then had to fight for sheer survival, against the odds is something that we can be very proud of. I have read the lists of the people who sailed on The Mayflower and the Puritan names, like Perseverance, Faithful and the likes, really awesome. I for one, have great respect for them. And great respect for people such as yourself, who keeps it all alive. They must never be forgotten and we should celebrate their lives
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artwork, a belated thanks for the kind words.
I agree with the respect and pride in our ancestors. It took so much courage and enormous endurance and will to live to keep them going. Their faith played a big part, I would think.
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