OT - Rudyard Kipling...

[Hobie]

IF by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

[O.S.O.K.]

yep

[AmBraCol]

Kippling, eh?

The Gods of the Copybook Headings


AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.

We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.

We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.

With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will bum,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return.

[DavidF]

The definition of character and integrity by Rudyard Kipling.

My mother made me memorize that poem when I was in grade school. I didn't give much thought to the meaning of it then, but reading it again now......moving and inspiring.
Thanks for posting it.

[2ndovc]

And.. One of the greatest story tellers of all time!


jb

[Morgan]

Hobie, you stirred the memory of this old lever gunner, My Mother gave me "IF" as a graduation guide 50 years ago when I graduated from high school. Thanks for the memories. I still have the copy.
..............Ken

[JohndeFresno]

IF by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
[snip]
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
[snip]
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

So THAT's who wrote it. Thanks, Hobie. I haven't heard this one for years, but I'm printing it out and posting it in my study. Really good stuff - especially for the here and now. Truly excellent and worthy of study.

[Hobie]

I was thinking that I needed reminding and went looking for it. Glad I found it. GRANDMOTHER first read me Kipling, the grandfathers were doers as was Grandma (as we called them to differentiate). I was blessed with good folks in my family.

[JohndeFresno]

Hobie, if I may, and if this is not viewed as a hijack of this fine thread, here is the "Rockefeller Creed." It was given in a speech by the great Capitalist John D. Rockefeller, on July 8, 1941, at a time when he turned the enormous Rockefeller fortune into a movement for good, creating various grants and gifts to his community and nation that endure today. It is still inscribed in marble at the Rockefeller Skating Rink. Fortunately, that edifice is now owned by Japanese interests, which means that the "great legal minds" of our country can't touch it and remove the references to God as seen below. Having been born at the end of World War II, what an irony that I should make such an observation!

This speech was foremost in influencing my life, and was line by line the inspiration for the moral code that I live by today. When I turned 16, my dear old Dad gave me a typewritten copy of the speech (below) that I carried in my wallet from then onwards, through Viet Nam, frequently read and finally retired when it was nothing but tatters about a decade ago. I have now retyped it and will carry it again, along with "IF" - after I return from a trip to Office Depot to have it laminated. Thanks for reminding me of my roots.

When our liberal brothers and sisters get caught up in their misguided rhetoric about the "mean spirited Conservatives," they should look this over and see if they are attempting to adhere to its tenets. Once one embraces this, they have only one ideological (and political) path to follow!

Here it is -
Rockefeller Creed (John D. Rockefeller)

I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.

I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master.

I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.

I believe that thrift is essential to well ordered living and that economy is a prime requisite of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs.

I believe that truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order.

I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond; that character -- not wealth or power or position -- is of supreme worth.

I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free.

I believe in an all-wise and all-loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individual's highest fulfillment,
greatest happiness, and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with His will.

I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate; that right can and will triumph over might.

[Hobie]

Thanks John, not a hijack at all but a perfect continuation of the topic!

[Rusty]

I like Kipling too... from "Tommy"


O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.

[Borregos]

Thanks for posting and getting the old memory juices flowing!!!

[Hobie]

I like Kipling too... from "Tommy"


O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.

Was just at on 9/12/2001, wasn't it...

[Ysabel Kid]

Excellent post Hobie! Thanks for sharing this...

[Doc Hudson]

Rusty!

You left out the best parts of Tommy!

Tommy
I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o'beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's ``Thank you, Mister Atkins,'' when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's ``Thank you, Mr. Atkins,'' when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy how's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints:
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country," when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
But Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

Rudyard Kipling

[Doc Hudson]

Mr. Kipling certainly had a way with words didn't he.

One of my prized possessions is a First Edition of Barrack Room Ballads.

[Rusty]

well Doc, I didn't want to get to windy with it. It's hard to tell which part to leave out.



Kind of like Robert Service... what part to leave out?

[Doc Hudson]

well Doc, I didn't want to get to windy with it. It's hard to tell which part to leave out.



Kind of like Robert Service... what part to leave out?

Just be glad I didn't post "How MacPherson Held the Floor!"

That is as long as it is good!

[WCF3030]

Being somewhat of a book worm and literary freak I carry a small notebook with a collection of my favorite quotes.
Kipling is high on the list so is Emerson.
Here is one of my favorites and has been committed to memory.

What is life but the angle of vision? A man is measured by the angle at which he looks at objects.
What is life but what a man is thinking of all day? This is his fate and employer.
Knowing is the measure of the man.
By how much we know, so much we are.

[Cimarron Red]

Some favorite Kipling lines from The Young British Soldier:

When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
So-oldier of the Queen!