The Poetry Of Rudyard Kipling Vol.3: "For the female of the species is more deadly than the male."

By Rudyard Kipling

The Poetry Of Rudyard Kipling, Volume 3. Poetry is a fascinating use of language. With almost a million words at its command it is not surprising that these Isles have produced some of the most beautiful, moving and descriptive verse through the centuries. In this series we look at individual poets who have shaped and influenced their craft and cement their place in our heritage. Here we look at the works of Rudyard Kipling; that great Victorian, that great writer of Empire, that great man; from ‘The Jungle Book’ to ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ to a great and voluminous poet with works of the calibre of ‘If’ and ‘On The Road To Mandalay’ a man at the top of his craft and always aware of his affect on the minds of us mere mortals. With our almost religious zeal to categorise and pigeon hole everything it should come as little surprise that one of the poems we learnt at school should so regularly be voted the best ever poem. Whether ‘If..’ deserves that credit or not is irrelevant to this empire wandering artist who was not only a fine story teller but a great poet of the Empire, its people and views. In today’ society some of what he had to say was undoubtedly wrong but of its time and we can learn much from that as well as all that was good about his other work. In this third volume he may not quite reach the heights but the situations, characters and subjects stand out under his knowing gaze. Some of these poems may have lain forgotten but deserve to again be part of his fine canon of works. Many of the poems are also available as an audiobook from our sister company Portable Poetry. Many samples are at our youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/PortablePoetry?feature=mhee The full volume can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon and other digital stores. Among our readers are Richard Mitchley and Ghizela Rowe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Copyright Group
• Release date: Sep 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9781780008073

Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was an English author and poet who began writing in India and shortly found his work celebrated in England. An extravagantly popular, but critically polarizing, figure even in his own lifetime, the author wrote several books for adults and children that have become classics, Kim, The Jungle Book, Just So Stories, Captains Courageous and others. Although taken to task by some critics for his frequently imperialistic stance, the author’s best work rises above his era’s politics. Kipling refused offers of both knighthood and the position of Poet Laureate, but was the first English author to receive the Nobel prize.

Book preview

The Poetry Of Rudyard Kipling, Volume 3

Poetry is a fascinating use of language.  With almost a million words at its command it is not surprising that these Isles have produced some of the most beautiful, moving and descriptive verse through the centuries.  In this series we look at individual poets who have shaped and influenced their craft and cement their place in our heritage.

Here we look at the works of Rudyard Kipling; that great Victorian, that great writer of Empire, that great man; from ‘The Jungle Book’ to ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ to a great and voluminous poet with works of the calibre of ‘If’ and ‘On The Road To Mandalay’ a man at the top of his craft and always aware of his affect on the minds of us mere mortals.

With our almost religious zeal to categorise and pigeon hole everything it should come as little surprise that one of the poems we learnt at school should so regularly be voted the best ever poem.  Whether ‘If..’ deserves that credit or not is irrelevant to this empire wandering artist who was not only a fine story teller but a great poet of the Empire, its people and views.  In today’ society some of what he had to say was undoubtedly wrong but of its time and we can learn much from that as well as all that was good about his other work.

In this third volume he may not quite reach the heights but the situations, characters and subjects stand out under his knowing gaze. Some of these poems may have lain forgotten but deserve to again be part of his fine canon of works.

Many of the poems are also available as an audiobook from our sister company Portable Poetry.  Many samples are at our youtube channel   http://www.youtube.com/user/PortablePoetry?feature=mhee    The full volume can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon and other digital stores.  Among our readers are Richard Mitchley and Ghizela Rowe

Index Of Poems

A Preface

For All We Have And Are

A Dead Statesman

A Ballade Of Jacko Hill

An American

False Dawn

An Imperial Rescript

Arithmetic On The Frontier

Evil Land

Ford O’ Kabul River

Army Headquarters

Back To The Army Again

Gethsemane

Beast And Man In India

Boots

France

Buddha At Kamakura

Certain Maxims Of Hafiz

Cold Iron

Cholera Camp

Christmas In India

Brown Bess

Dirge Of The Dead Sisters

Death Of A Believer

Divided Destinies

Gods Of The East

Hadramauti

Hymn Before Action

How it All Began

Gypsy Vans

Jubal And Tubal Cain

Late Came The God

Kitchener’s School

In The Matter Of One’s Compass

London Stone

Mesopotamia

Mowgli’s Brothers

Natural Theology

One Viceroy Resigns

Old Fighting Men

Prophets At Home

Public Waste

Philadelphia

Soldier An’ Sailor To

Route Marchin’

Russia To The Pacifists

The Ballad Of Ahmed Shah

The Broken Men

The Burial

The Choice (The American Spirit Speaks)

The City Of Brass

The Declaration Of London

The English Way

A Preface

To all to whom this little book may come

Health for yourselves and those you hold most dear!

Content abroad, and happiness at home,

And - one grand Secret in your private ear: -

Nations have passed away and left no traces,

And History gives the naked cause of it

One single, simple reason in all cases;

They fell because their peoples were not fit.

Now, though your Body be mis-shapen, blind,

Lame, feverish, lacking substance, power or skill,

Certain it is that men can school the Mind

To school the sickliest Body, to her will

As many have done, whose glory blazes still

Like mighty flames in meanest lanterns lit:

Wherefore, we pray the crippled, weak and ill

Be fit - be fit! In mind at first be fit!

And, though your Spirit seem uncouth or small,

Stubborn as clay or shifting as the sand,

Strengthen the Body, and the Body shall

Strengthen the Spirit till she take command;

As a bold rider brings his horse in hand

At the tall fence, with voice and heel and bit,

And leaps while all the field are at a stand.

Be fit - be fit! In body next be fit!

Nothing on earth - no Arts, no Gifts, no Graces

No Fame, no Wealth - outweighs the wont of it.

This is the Law which every law embraces

Be fit - be fit! In mind and body be fit!

The even heart that seldom slurs its beat-

The cool head weighing what that heart desires

The measuring eye that guides the hands and feet

The Soul unbroken when the Body tires

These are the things our weary world requires

Far more than superfluities of wit;

Wherefore we pray you, sons of generous sires,

Be fit - be fit! For Honour's sake be fit.

There is one lesson at all Times and Places

One changeless Truth on all things changing writ,

For boys and girls, men, women, nations, races

Be fit - be fit! And once again, be fit!

For All We Have And Are

For all we have and are,

For all our children's fate,

Stand up and meet the war.

The Hun is at the gate!

Our world has passed away

In wantonness o'erthrown.

There is nothing left to-day

But steel and fire and stone.

Though all we knew depart,

The old commandments stand:

"In courage keep your heart,

In strength lift up your hand."

Once more we hear the word

That sickened earth of old:

"No law except the sword

Unsheathed and uncontrolled,"

Once more it knits