Ode of Remembrance

They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.

Response:

We will remember them
Lest we forget

When the Ode is recited at a commemorative service, visitors should stand, remove headwear and refrain from talking.

Origins of the Ode

The Ode of Remembrance has been recited to commemorate wartime service and sacrifice since 1921.

Reading a poem at a commemorative service can help the audience to understand the wartime experience of service men and women. Well-known wartime poetry is often used during commemorative services.

The Ode is the 4th stanza of the poem For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon. The poem was first published in British newspaper The Times on 21 September 1914. The poem later appeared in many anthologies of war verse.

In 1919, Binyon’s poem was selected to accompany the unveiling of the London Cenotaph and was adopted as a memorial tradition by many Commonwealth nations. The poem was read at the laying of the Inauguration Stone at the Australian War Memorial in 1929.

Variations of the Ode

Other versions of the Ode exist, such as those used at Last Post ceremonies hosted by the Australian War Memorial and RSL branches. This gives some flexibility to your service.

About the poet

Laurence Binyon was an English academic and poet. He worked as a medical orderly with the Red Cross on the Western Front during World War I. By the time Binyon’s poem was published in The Times, the British Expeditionary Force had already experienced devastating losses on the Western Front.