Edward Elgar. It is a mouthful. His parents should have named him John, or Trent. Something to buffer that Elgar sound. But he got Edward. He could have been Elgin. Yes it could have been worse. Nonetheless, today is his birthday. June 2, in the year 1857.
Born in England. I am sure he did a lot of things in his life. But he is best known as the Composer of Pomp and Circumstance.
I’ve never much cared for the tune itself. It is a little long and drawn out. Or perhaps it just seems that way, because the orchestra plays it on a loop until all the graduates file in. Which, depending on the class, can be an eternity.
I have read that pomp and circumstance is a term that was most probably invented by William Shakespeare. I am not sure in what capacity though. But there it is, in many of the definitions.
In its broadest, the term pomp and circumstance describes a ceremony of grandeur. Some big to-do. A very formal celebration.
But here in the United States is almost always refers to graduation ceremonies from high school or university.
I think we should just start using “pomp” the word, in and of itself. “Hey Judy. I’m having a Pomp on Friday night. You want to come over?” We should try to drop the circumstances. Just for the heck of it.
Anyway. That is all I know about Edward Elgar and his birthday. Unless I read more, but he just doesn’t seem that interesting to me.
And, THAT, is the key to the writing of this thing every day. What, Polly, what, do you think people will find interesting?
Will they care that Serena Williams got mopped up yesterday at the French Open by a 35th ranked American player who was born in Moscow, Russia?
Some might. Others, meh.
Do they care about Napoleon’s wife, and her pet Pug? Yes, Josephine had a pet pug named Fortuné. She absolutely loved that dog. So much, that she refused to let the dog sleep anywhere but in her bed. They say that when Napoleon entered her bed for the first time (newly married, of course), her pug bit him on the leg. When Fortune bites, you know.
Or, maybe these readers like Blue Whales. Will they care that a newborn blue whale gains about 200 pounds a day? A couple of hundred pounds, each DAY, during its first year. That’s a lot of Krill.
Perhaps reading about prison would be better. Alcatraz. We all know the famous story of the escape. Yes, the Clint Eastwood role as Frank Morris. But in all, 36 men tried to get out of that place. Of those who fled from The Rock (it was open for 29 years, from 1934 to 1963), not many did so well. Here are the stats. Twenty three were recaptured, six were killed by guards, and two drowned. Then there were those remaining five —including Morris — who made it to the water and disappeared.
Probably eaten by hungry baby Blue Whales if you ask me.
So yes, on any given day, you just never know what you might get here.
The truth is, neither do I.
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“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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“The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing.”
― Voltaire
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“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.”
― Isaac Asimov
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