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cricketumpire — Lest we forget...

#barley #cornfield #nature #poppy #remembrance
Published: 2016-07-15 17:05:57 +0000 UTC; Views: 5922; Favourites: 562; Downloads: 59
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IN FLANDERS FIELDS

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.                                            ~ John McCrae 1915

{During the First World War (1914–1918) much of the fighting took place in Western Europe. Previously beautiful countryside was blasted, bombed and fought over, again and again. The landscape swiftly turned to fields of mud: bleak and barren scenes where little or nothing could grow.

Bright red Flanders poppies (Papaver rhoeas) however, were delicate but resilient flowers and grew in their thousands, flourishing even in the middle of chaos and destruction. In early May 1915, shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, a Canadian doctor, Lt Col John McCrae was inspired by the sight of poppies to write the now famous poem.

The poppy is a symbol of Remembrance and hope worn by millions of people. Red because of the natural colour of field poppies. The poppy is NOT a symbol of death or a sign of support for war, a reflection of politics or religion or red to reflect the colour of blood.                                  ~ The Royal British Legion}

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Comments: 119

VasiDragos [2018-12-14 19:34:34 +0000 UTC]

A beautiful composition

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cricketumpire In reply to VasiDragos [2018-12-14 22:21:12 +0000 UTC]

Thank you but the photograph only highlights the hundredth anniversary of the end of WW1. It's so important to learn those lessons of history   
       

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Nocthune [2018-01-04 12:55:07 +0000 UTC]

This is truly a wonderful photograph, I love it!

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cricketumpire In reply to Nocthune [2018-01-04 13:22:43 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for that compliment.  The important part is remembering the conflicts of the past and the fallen of all nations to learn the lessons of

history. We are coming towards the end of the centenary remembrances of WW1 and sadly interest already seems to be dying and the world is
no more stable and safe than its ever been          Will we ever learn...   
    

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goron44 [2017-12-02 19:55:24 +0000 UTC]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kX_3y…

( I no it's a little out of date but I keep this day close to my heart and felt it would be nice to say something for this amazing pick.... )

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cricketumpire In reply to goron44 [2017-12-03 09:02:31 +0000 UTC]

It's a lovely song and a clever mix of images in the video     
   

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Sugaree-33 [2017-10-21 21:09:22 +0000 UTC]

Poppies also take away the pain and that's what so many need! It's so pretty. Your words remind me of Pink Flyod lyrics-The Gunner's Dream... Poppies are so hard to photograph due to their being one with the wind.

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cricketumpire In reply to Sugaree-33 [2017-10-21 22:37:34 +0000 UTC]

They also lack contrast which makes them look featureless more than not. This time it worked - 'and in a corner of some foreign field I had a dream...'. 

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Sugaree-33 In reply to cricketumpire [2017-10-21 22:53:41 +0000 UTC]

I had a dream. Enough to eat, a place to stay..I love that stuff

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cricketumpire In reply to Sugaree-33 [2017-10-22 08:02:18 +0000 UTC]

A lovely wish to hold in a world of greed and self advancement      
I heard a non-religious way of 'saying grace' before a meal recently
that echoes your thoughts...

For food in a world of hunger,
For companionship in a world of loneliness,
And for peace in a world of violence,
We give thanks.                                                  
    

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Sugaree-33 In reply to cricketumpire [2017-10-22 17:01:01 +0000 UTC]

Amen

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cricketumpire In reply to Sugaree-33 [2017-10-22 20:21:10 +0000 UTC]

   

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TopCat20 [2017-06-05 20:03:08 +0000 UTC]

 Great Shot. 

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cricketumpire In reply to TopCat20 [2017-06-08 05:49:25 +0000 UTC]

Thank you. They are surprisingly difficult to capture with an artistic quality to the photgraph. I'll keep trying     

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TopCat20 In reply to cricketumpire [2017-06-08 09:01:53 +0000 UTC]

Perfectly Done!

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fmr0 [2017-06-02 19:56:46 +0000 UTC]

Beautiful photograph and message.     

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cricketumpire In reply to fmr0 [2017-06-02 22:47:06 +0000 UTC]

The message is especially important during the centenary remembrance of WW1  
                                                      The lessons of history must be learnt - or the mistakes will be repeated       
     

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Cwmm [2017-04-09 20:31:38 +0000 UTC]

Beautiful image.

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cricketumpire In reply to Cwmm [2017-04-09 21:25:38 +0000 UTC]

...but one that reflects the need to remember individual sacrifice and loss in conflicts of over a hundred years         Will nations ever learn    

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Cwmm In reply to cricketumpire [2017-04-09 22:30:46 +0000 UTC]

Apparently not.  Those who don't learn the history are doomed to repeat it.  And very few have bothered to learn it.

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cricketumpire In reply to Cwmm [2017-04-10 08:49:20 +0000 UTC]

It's a very sad fact...       

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DeeDeeFairWeather [2017-03-21 20:42:23 +0000 UTC]

Love the photo, poem and history lesson  Great work! 

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cricketumpire In reply to DeeDeeFairWeather [2017-03-22 12:40:23 +0000 UTC]

As suggested, it's important we don't forget these things in a violent world     
  

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SuperiorArtWarrior [2017-03-05 05:07:39 +0000 UTC]

Lovely, beautiful petals and lovely surrounding.

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cricketumpire In reply to SuperiorArtWarrior [2017-03-05 13:53:18 +0000 UTC]

I liked the way the green and red of the flower stood out from and contrasted with the background... 
                                                       ...but was it a poppy in a cornfield or a cornfield with a poppy in it    
  

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4ajka [2017-02-14 09:59:16 +0000 UTC]

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cricketumpire In reply to 4ajka [2017-02-14 14:06:16 +0000 UTC]

Pleased you liked sharing the moment...      

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apixiessorrow [2017-01-05 02:01:47 +0000 UTC]

Such a well done shot From color, to composition, to focus it is great to look at!

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cricketumpire In reply to apixiessorrow [2017-01-06 00:26:46 +0000 UTC]

I'm really glad you enjoyed all those aspects. The single flower was to highlight the remembrance message, I think it worked    

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apixiessorrow In reply to cricketumpire [2017-01-06 02:06:56 +0000 UTC]

Indeed

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mecengineer [2016-12-21 17:57:12 +0000 UTC]

amazing

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cricketumpire In reply to mecengineer [2016-12-21 23:49:13 +0000 UTC]

Thanks... it illustrates an important sentiment we should all consider with current world events  

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GlassHouse-1 [2016-10-27 16:58:33 +0000 UTC]

I remember memorizing this poem as a very young child at school.  It affected me even then and I have never forgot it.  Your photo is so lovely.

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cricketumpire In reply to GlassHouse-1 [2016-10-27 21:18:30 +0000 UTC]

It is such a fundamental feeling generated by this poem. My reaction was the same as yours. It's impossible not to be moved by it     

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GlassHouse-1 In reply to cricketumpire [2016-10-28 16:38:58 +0000 UTC]

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cricketumpire In reply to GlassHouse-1 [2016-10-28 17:11:01 +0000 UTC]

There are so many poignant stories connected with WW1...   The individual scarifices must never be forgotten      

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Aya-Lunar [2016-08-31 17:18:14 +0000 UTC]

Wow, I love this, the color is zo beautiful among the vage colored weat

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cricketumpire In reply to Aya-Lunar [2016-09-01 10:18:25 +0000 UTC]

I think the contrast of red against the pale colour of the crop works well. Thanks for the compliment...  

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Aya-Lunar In reply to cricketumpire [2016-09-01 12:10:47 +0000 UTC]

Indeed so, no problem!

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dorenna [2016-08-11 17:39:08 +0000 UTC]

Thank-you.    

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cricketumpire In reply to dorenna [2016-08-11 22:37:55 +0000 UTC]

A few years ago we visited the Canadian Memorial Site at Vimy Ridge in northern France. It is very moving seeing the thousands of names engraved in stone and all the grave stones. We must never forget those lessons from history...    

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MarietteBerndsen [2016-08-09 13:00:21 +0000 UTC]

A picture fitting the remembrance.....

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cricketumpire In reply to MarietteBerndsen [2016-08-11 11:08:15 +0000 UTC]

Thank you, I'm glad you saw both aspects of the submission       

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vanndra [2016-08-07 05:14:24 +0000 UTC]

Beautiful!

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cricketumpire In reply to vanndra [2016-08-08 12:19:51 +0000 UTC]

Thank you my friend     

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vanndra In reply to cricketumpire [2016-08-11 02:09:31 +0000 UTC]

You're very welcome

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TheLittleWaterDragon [2016-07-29 04:27:45 +0000 UTC]

Ah, Flanders' Fields! I love that poem. The first World War was a traumatic, yet fascinating experience, and the beautiful contrast of red against pale gold serves well to remember it

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cricketumpire In reply to TheLittleWaterDragon [2016-07-29 08:31:18 +0000 UTC]

I'm sure the traumatic experiences of the war poets heightened the emotional quality of their work. Knowing of and partially understanding the circumstances they wrote in, the poems almost seem understated in description, yet so charged with emotion. The irony is so many died themselves, yet left such moving lines.

Only last night I saw a television programme about the Battle of the Somme. The historian presenting it told of a soldier who, when left trapped and fatally wounded in a shell hole, wrote a final yet hopeful letter home to his family in his army note book. Not a poem but so moving. He started by saying the battle had gone well but he was wounded in the leg and back. Then he turned all his final comments to his family and his love for them. No self pity, only a reassurance to them he had done his duty and his good wishes to them.
                                                                                                                                                         Beyond belief...      


   

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John-Peter [2016-07-26 16:05:33 +0000 UTC]

Great focus and composition! It's really beautiful flower

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cricketumpire In reply to John-Peter [2016-07-26 23:29:57 +0000 UTC]

I find them surprisingly difficult to photograph but I'm pleased you liked it  

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