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Shilpa KarhikIf - Rudyard Kipling
April 26th 2006 02:09
Just about everyone is familiar with Rudyard Kipling, whether they know it or not. He is the author of "The Jungle Book", "Kim", "Just So Stories", "Gunga Din" and plenty of other famous works, as well as being the inventor of the term "the white man's burden". While many are at odds with his politics, the appeal of his writing, especially his writing for children, has well and truly outweighed such objections.
This is a very popular poem and has been presented to countless children by their parents and teachers as general advice on how to behave toward yourself and others. It's been criticised for being too obvious in some ways, and for being too prohibitive in others. And of course, the gender-specificity puts some people off. But really, the advice is as good for girls as it is for boys, and while a lot of it is really just common sense, at least it's nicely put!
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 impostors 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 worn-out 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 breathe 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!
This is a very popular poem and has been presented to countless children by their parents and teachers as general advice on how to behave toward yourself and others. It's been criticised for being too obvious in some ways, and for being too prohibitive in others. And of course, the gender-specificity puts some people off. But really, the advice is as good for girls as it is for boys, and while a lot of it is really just common sense, at least it's nicely put!
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 impostors 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 worn-out 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 breathe 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!
Rudyard Kipling
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Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Jose
And treat those two impostors just the same' are in no way obvious. In short I enjoyed this poem even if it is in no manner libral and even dair I say it conservative. Certantly I wouldn't mind meating someone on this planet that "being hated don't give way to hating".