[John Whitworth]

The Bible Competition came and went, leaving Bill Greenwell, Bazza and Chris O'Carroll with Scripture prizes. Bill was particularly good IMO.

This week's competition, 1471 if I remember right, involves re-reporting well known historical events (presumably usually cock-ups) along the lines that Willam Hague, our doughty Foreign Secretary, sketched in, when he described the surrender of British Special Forces to the good guys in Libya, as a 'Misunderstanding of their role' or some such. Staggers suggests the Charge of the Light Brigade as an example of what they want.

Doesn't look like verse, but Spherians might remember Robert Graves' little poem on the Persian view of the Battle of Marathon.

The Persian Version

Truth-loving Persians do not dwell upon
The trivial skirmish fought near Marathon.
As for the Greek theatrical tradition
Which represents that summer's expedition
Not as a mere reconnaisance in force
By three brigades of foot and one of horse
(Their left flank covered by some obsolete
Light craft detached from the main Persian fleet)
But as a grandiose, ill-starred attempt
To conquer Greece - they treat it with contempt;
And only incidentally refute
Major Greek claims, by stressing what repute
The Persian monarch and the Persian nation
Won by this salutary demonstration:
Despite a strong defence and adverse weather
All arms combined magnificently together.

[Chris O'Carroll]

Here's a link to the competition results:

http://www.newstatesman.com/2011/03/...s-egypt-israel

John is right about Bill's entry, which surprised the judge and streaked past the rest of us. (As for my own win, I'll take the money, but in my seldom humble opinion, I have lost competitions with better stuff than this.)

[Jayne Osborn]

Chris,

You're being much too 'umble, my friend. I thought the winning entries were good, yours included.
I can't even get off the starting blocks with this kind of stuff, though I haven't actually tried very hard, so that's probably why.

[FOsen]

I agree with Jayne, these are all good.

I have to say, though, NS picks some strange subjects. In addition to the charge of the Light Brigade, the current directions offer the Somme and Amritsar as possible topics - tough to see how one could wring any larfs from those. Also, with anything recent, the government in question has usually gotten there first with its own preposterous excuse.