Letters Apart: The Burghers of Calais

Friday, March 31, 2006

What an interesting picture. I looked up the story and it's about an English King who conquered Calais and wanted to sack the whole city but he was persuaded to come up with a different punishment plan. He asked for six citizens to be offered to him as prisoners. Those who volunteered to save their town were six of its most promiment inhabitants who where then shackled, donned in rags and presented to the king who ordered their decapitation. We should have statues of those murdered in Lebanon, from Premier Hariri to Gibran Tueni and call them the Burghers of Lebanon. By the way, the Burghers of Calais fared much better than our fallen heroes. They were granted pardon by the king because of his wife's intervention. Where were you Asma when your husband was raising the hatchet?

By Anonymous, at 9:58 AM
Nice photo, Lazarus. One of the perks of having a Rodin museum on campus I guess.
The sculptures depict the first event of the Hundred Years War, so no parallels with Lebanon pls, we've had enough bloodshed already.

By Ms Levantine, at 10:09 AM
no parallels with Lebanon? Is this lady for real? Isn't this the same chick whose vision of a great Lebanon is one without its inhabitants? Thank God this chick was nowhere near the King of England at the time. She would have said, and with glee, "Off with their heads, please."

By Anonymous, at 10:12 AM