Once More Unto The Breach/Battle Of Helms Deep Speech

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more or close the wall up with our English dead.

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man

As modest stillness and humility but when the blast of war blows in our ears,

Then imitate the action of the tiger stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,

Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

Let pry through the portage of the head like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it

As fearfully as doth a galled rock o'erhang and jutty his confounded base,

Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,

Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit to his full height. on, on, you noblest English.

Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,

Have in these parts from morn till even fought and sheathed their swords for lack of argument:

Dishonour not your mothers; now attest that those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.

Be copy now to men of grosser blood and teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,

Whose limbs were made in England, show us here the mettle of your pasture; let us swear

That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not for there is none of you so mean and base,

That hath not noble lustre in your eyes I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,

Straining upon the start. The game's afoot follow your spirit, and upon this charge

Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George

Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West

Myrmidons! My brothers of the sword! I would rather fight beside you than any army of thousands! Let no man forget how menacing we are, we are lions! Do you know what's waiting beyond that beach? Immortality! Take it! It's yours! At night I see their faces. All the men I've killed. They're standing there on the far bank of the river Styx. They're waiting for me. They say, 'Welcome, brother' We men are wretched things. There are no pacts between lions and men

 I'll tell you a secret. Something they don't teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.

 May the Gods keep the wolves in the hills and the women in our beds.

May the gods keep the wolves in the fields and the women in our beds.