大象传媒

In Humble Tribute to the Memory of Our Comrades Who Lie in the Casino War Cemetery Here, at Cassino War Cemetery,
Where the early morning shadows
of the Montecassino heights steal slowly
almost imperceptibly across the gateway
to the Liri Valley
lie buried the earthly remains
of our Canadian Comrades.
They gave their lives in a just war
to preserve the freedoms we so dearly cherish.
Now they lie side by side
with their British and Commonwealth Comrades.
The rich soil of Italy was made richer
by the flesh and blood
they had so freely given it. Their last resting place,
is one of incomparable beauty,
so nobly designed, crafted and maintained.
Under the blue skies of spring and summer
the wayward breezes sigh and murmur
through the tall pines and acacias.
Within shade and out in the warming sun
stand rows upon rows of white headstones
that mark the places where they sleep.
Bright flowering shrubs and plants
flourish above them, and the green, green grass
on which we walk
is their comforting blanket.

They lie here in an alien land
far from the shores of the land called 'home'.
They are heroes.
They gave their 'all' as they stood
at the very threshold of what should have been
an abundant and fulfilling life.
Their dreams and the dreams of those
who loved them
have been shattered on the hard anvil of war.

They've known no weariness or pain, nor exulting joy, nor tears of sadness,
nor the torments of anger, despair, and ill-health nor the soft caress of a woman's love, nor the loving embrace of little children.
So much has been denied them.
They awake not to bright dawns,
nor hear the thunder of summer storms.
The leaves of autumn scatter not to their tread,
nor the joys of spring greet them in all its glory.
Nor do they feel the warming sun,
or the cold winter winds on their cheeks.
They are sleeping.

Though the world has trembled again and again
to the loud and frightful sounds of war,
they fear not, for their peace is forever.
They have fought the good fight,
laid down their arms, and are now resting,
a sleep that knows no waking, no tomorrow
We who have walked safely out of the shadows
of the Valley of Death,
will always remember them,
until that time we we too shall climb
the long stairway to eternity.

鈥擲tan Scislowski

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