Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
The conquest of Malacca from the Malay Annals, not some glorified revised and spun Malaysian history text book
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Tun Aria then left the palace bearing the story of Hamzah and he told the Story of Hamzah and he told the young nobles what Sultan Ahmad had said. At first they were silent, but presently Tun Isak Berakah replied to Tun Aria, "Represent humbly to the Ruler that he has spoken amiss. If he will be as Muhammad Hanafiah, we will be as war-chief Bania' (Beniar) : if his bravery is as that of Muhammad Hanafiah, ours will be that of war-chief Bania'." And when Tun Aria took this message from Tun Isak Berakah to Sultan Ahmad, the king smiled and gave them the Story of Muhammad Hanafiah instead.
When day dawned, the Franks landed and attacked. And Sultan Ahmad mounted his elephant Juru Demang..... The Franks then fiercelyengaged the men of Malaka in battle and so vehement was their onslaught that the Malaka line was broken, leaving the king on his elephant isolated (?). And the king fought with the Franks pike to pike, and was wounded in the palm of the hand. And he shewed the palm of his hand, saying "See this, Malays!" And when the they saw that Sultan Ahmad was wounded in the hand, the war-chiefs returned to the attack and fought the Franks.
And Tun Salehu'd-din called upon the Orang Kaya Sogoh to fight with the Franks pike to pike. And Tun Salehu'd-din was struck in the chest and killed, and twenty of the leading war-chiefs were killed. The Sri Awadana was wounded in the groin, so the elephant was made to kneel and he was put on a litter. Sultan Ahmad ordered him to be examined by a doctor, who explored the wound with the pointed end of a sireh leaf and said, "All is well, the wound can be treated. But had it been half a rice grain deeper, the Sri Awadana would have died." And Malaka fell. The Franks advanced on the King's audience hall (?) and the men of Malaka fled. Bendahara Lubok Batu was borne off the field by one Selamat Gagah, closely pursued by the Franks. And the Bendahara said to the man who was bearing him, "Hurl me against the Franks!" But his family would not allow this. Whereupon the Bendahara cried, "What cowards these young men are! If I was still a young man, I would die fighting for Malaka!"
Sultan Ahmad then withdrew to Hulu Muar and thence to Pagoh. Sultan Mahmud Shah had taken his abode at Batu Hampar. Sultan Ahmad then established a fort at Bentayan. Meanwhile the Franks occupied Malaka where they turned the royal demesne into a fort; which fort is there to this day. Then the Franks advanced to Muar and attacked Pagoh, which fell after several days fighting; and Sang Stia was killed. Sultan Ahmad then withdrew to Hulu Muar. In Muar the Bendahara died.... After a while Sultan Ahmad and his father, Sultan Mahamud Shah, left Hulu Muar and went on to Pahang, where they were welcomed by the Raja of Pahang. Sultan Mahmud Shah gave his daughter by his Kelantan consort in marriage to the Raja of Pahang whose name was Sultan Mansur Shah. From Pahang Sultan Ahmad went to Bentan and established a settlement at Kopak.
Extracted from "Malaysia-Selected Historical Readings compiled by John Bastin and Robin W.Winks, Kuala Lumpur, Oxford University Press 1966
