To celebrate St. George's Day, English Heritage have commissioned a poem from Brian Patten to remind the English of听what they are meant to be听celebrating.
In the spirit of fairness, we commissioned Scottish poet Elvis Mcgonagall to write a poem marking the day from the other side of the border.
Read the poems below or listen to听Brian Patten and听Elvis Mcgonagall read their poems on the programme.
The True Dragon by Brian Patten
St George was out walking
He met a dragon on a hill,
It was wise and wonderful
Too glorious to kill
It slept amongst the wild thyme
Where the oxlips and violets grow
Its skin was a luminous fire
That made the English landscape glow
Its tears were England鈥檚 crystal rivers
Its breath the mist on England鈥檚 moors
Its larder was England鈥檚 orchards,
Its house was without doors
St George was in awe of it
It was a thing apart
He hid the sleeping dragon
Inside every English heart
So on this day let鈥檚 celebrate
England鈥檚 valleys full of light,
The green fire of the landscape
Lakes shivering with delight
Let鈥檚 celebrate St George鈥檚 Day,
The dragon in repose;
The brilliant lark ascending,
The yew, the oak, the rose
By George! by Elvis Mcgonagall
Once more unto the breach, dear Morris Dancers
听听听 once more
Jingle your bells, thwack sticks, raise flagons
Cry 鈥淕od for Harry and Saint George!鈥
Gallant knight and slayer of dragons
Patron saint of merry England 鈥
And Georgia, and Catalonia, and Portugal, Beirut, Moscow
Istanbul, Germany, Greece
Archers, farmers, boy scouts, butchers and sufferers of
听听 syphilis
Multicultural icon with sword and codpiece
On, on you bullet-headed saxon sons
Fly flags from white van and cab
But remember stout yeomen, your champion was Turkish
So 鈥 get drunk and have a kebab
