Lukannon by Rudyard Kipling
I met my mates in the morning (and oh, but I am old!) Where roaring on the ledges the summer ground-swell rolled; I heard them lift the chorus that dropped the breakers’ song — The beaches of Lukannon — two million voices strong! The song of pleasant stations beside the salt lagoons, The song of […]
Loot by Rudyard Kipling
If you’ve ever stole a pheasant-egg be’ind the keeper’s back, If you’ve ever snigged the washin’ from the line, If you’ve ever crammed a gander in your bloomin’ ‘aversack, You will understand this little song o’ mine. But the service rules are ‘ard, an’ from such we are debarred, For the same with English morals […]
La Nuit Blanche by Rudyard Kipling
A much-discerning Public hold The Singer generally sings And prints and sells his past for gold. Whatever I may here disclaim, The very clever folk I sing to Will most indubitably cling to Their pet delusion, just the same. I had seen, as the dawn was breaking And I staggered to my rest, Tari Devi […]
Kitchener’s School by Rudyard Kipling
1898 Being a translation of the song that was made by a Mohammedanschoolmaster of Bengal Infantry (some time on service at Suakim)when he heard that Kitchener was taking money from the English tobuild a Madrissa for Hubshees — or a college for the Sudanese. Oh Hubshee, carry your shoes in your hand and bow your […]
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Unto whose use the pregnant suns are poised, With idiot moons and stars retracting stars? Creep thou between — thy coming’s all unnoised. Heaven hath her high, as Earth her baser, wars. Heir to these tumults, this affright, that fray (By Adam’s, fathers’, own, sin bound alway); Peer up, draw out thy horoscope and say […]
Justice by Rudyard Kipling
October, 1918 Across a world where all men grieve And grieving strive the more, The great days range like tides and leave Our dead on every shore. Heavy the load we undergo, And our own hands prepare, If we have parley with the foe, The load our sons must bear. Before we loose the word […]
In Springtime by Rudyard Kipling
My garden blazes brightly with the rose-bush and the peach, And the koil sings above it, in the siris by the well, From the creeper-covered trellis comes the squirrel’s chattering speech, And the blue jay screams and flutters where the cheery sat-bhai dwell. But the rose has lost its fragrance, and the koil’s note is […]
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 […]
I Keep Six Honest… by Rudyard Kipling
I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who. I send them over land and sea, I send them east and west; But after they have worked for me, I give them all a rest. I let them rest […]
Hymn Before Action by Rudyard Kipling
The earth is full of anger, The seas are dark with wrath, The Nations in their harness Go up against our path: Ere yet we draw the blade, Jehovah of the Thunders, Lord God of Battles, aid! High lust and froward bearing, Proud heart, rebellious brow — Deaf ear and soul uncaring, We seek My […]
Hunting-Song of the Seeonee Pack by Rudyard Kipling
(From The Jungle Book) As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled Once, twice, and again! And a doe leaped up — and a doe leaped up From the pond in the wood where the wild deer sup. This I, scouting alone, beheld, Once, twice, and again! As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled […]
Helen all Alone by Rudyard Kipling
“In the Same Boat”–A Diversity of Creatures There was darkness under Heaven For an hour’s space– Darkness that we knew was given Us for special grace. Sun and noon and stars were hid, God had left His Throne, When Helen came to me, she did, Helen all alone! Side by side (because our fate Damned […]
Harp Song of the Dane Women by Rudyard Kipling
What is a woman that you forsake her, And the hearth-fire and the home-acre, To go with the old grey Widow-maker? She has no house to lay a guest in– But one chill bed for all to rest in, That the pale suns and the stray bergs nest in. She has no strong white arms […]
Half-Ballad of Waterval by Rudyard Kipling
(Non-commissioned Officers in Charge of Prisoners) When by the labor of my ‘ands I’ve ‘elped to pack a transport tight With prisoners for foreign lands, I ain’t transported with delight. I know it’s only just an’ right, But yet it somehow sickens me, For I ‘ave learned at Waterval The meanin’ of captivity. Be’ind the […]
Gethsemane by Rudyard Kipling
1914-18 The Garden called Gethsemane In Picardy it was, And there the people came to see The English soldiers pass. We used to pass — we used to pass Or halt, as it might be, And ship our masks in case of gas Beyond Gethsemane. The Garden called Gethsemane, It held a pretty lass, But […]
Gehazi by Rudyard Kipling
1915 Whence comest thou, Gehazi, So reverend to behold, In scarlet and in ermines And chain of England’s gold?” “From following after Naaman To tell him all is well, Whereby my zeal hath made me A Judge in Israel.” Well done; well done, Gehazi! Stretch forth thy ready hand, Thou barely ‘scaped from judgment, Take […]
Fuzzy-Wuzzy by Rudyard Kipling
(Soudan Expeditionary Force) We’ve fought with many men acrost the seas, An’ some of ’em was brave an’ some was not: The Paythan an’ the Zulu an’ Burmese; But the Fuzzy was the finest o’ the lot. We never got a ha’porth’s change of ‘im: ‘E squatted in the scrub an’ ‘ocked our ‘orses, ‘E […]
Ford o’ Kabul River by Rudyard Kipling
Kabul town’s by Kabul river — Blow the bugle, draw the sword — There I lef’ my mate for ever, Wet an’ drippin’ by the ford. Ford, ford, ford o’ Kabul river, Ford o’ Kabul river in the dark! There’s the river up and brimmin’, an’ there’s ‘arf a squadron swimmin’ ‘Cross the ford o’ […]
For To Admire by Rudyard Kipling
The Injian Ocean sets an’ smiles So sof’, so bright, so bloomin’ blue; There aren’t a wave for miles an’ miles Excep’ the jiggle from the screw. The ship is swep’, the day is done, The bugle’s gone for smoke and play; An’ black agin’ the settin’ sun The Lascar sings, “Hum deckty hai!” [“I’m […]
For All We Have And Are by Rudyard Kipling
For all we have and are, For all our children’s fate, Stand up and take 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! Tough all we knew depart, The old Commandments stand: — “In courage keep […]
Farewell and adieu… by Rudyard Kipling
1914-18 Farewell and adieu to you, Harwich Ladies, Farewell and adieu to you, ladies ashore! For we’ve received orders to work to the eastward Where we hope in a short time to strafe ’em some more. We’ll duck and we’ll dive like little tin turtles, We’ll duck and we’ll dive underneath the North Seas, Until […]
Evarra And His Gods by Rudyard Kipling
Read here: This is the story of Evarra — man — Maker of Gods in lands beyond the sea. Because the city gave him of her gold, Because the caravans brought turquoises, Because his life was sheltered by the King, So that no man should maim him, none should steal, Or break his rest with […]
Eddi’s Service by Rudyard Kipling
Eddi, priest of St. Wilfrid In his chapel at Manhood End, Ordered a midnight service For such as cared to attend. But the Saxons were keeping Christmas, And the night was stormy as well. Nobody came to service, Though Eddi rang the bell. “‘Wicked weather for walking,” Said Eddi of Manhood End. “But I must […]
Doctors by Rudyard Kipling
1923 Man dies too soon, beside his works half-planned. His days are counted and reprieve is vain: Who shall entreat with Death to stay his hand; Or cloke the shameful nakedness of pain? Send here the bold, the seekers of the way– The passionless, the unshakeable of soul, Who serve the inmost mysteries of man’s […]
Dane-Geld by Rudyard Kipling
A.D. 980-1016 It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation To call upon a neighbour and to say: — “We invaded you last night — we are quite prepared to fight, Unless you pay us cash to go away.” And that is called asking for Dane-geld, And the people who ask ti […]
Cruisers by Rudyard Kipling
As our mother the Frigate, bepainted and fine, Made play for her bully the Ship of the Line; So we, her bold daughters by iron and fire, Accost and decoy to our masters’ desire. Now, pray you, consider what toils we endure, Night-walking wet sea-lanes, a guard and a lure; Since half of our trade […]
Covenent by Rudyard Kipling
1914 We thought we ranked above the chance of ill. Others might fall, not we, for we were wise– Merchants in freedom. So, of our free-will We let our servants drug our strength with lies. The pleasure and the poison had its way On us as on the meanest, till we learned That he who […]
Columns by Rudyard Kipling
(Mobile Columns of the Boer War) Out o’ the wilderness, dusty an’ dry (Time, an’ ‘igh time to be trekkin’ again!) Oo is it ‘eads to the Detail Supply? A sectioin, a pompom, an’ six ‘undred men. ‘Ere comes the clerk with ‘is lantern an’ keys (Time, an ‘igh time to be trekkin ‘again!) ” […]
Cleared by Rudyard Kipling
Help for a patriot distressed, a spotless spirit hurt, Help for an honourable clan sore trampled in the dirt! From Queenstown Bay to Donegal, O listen to my song, The honourable gentlemen have suffered grievous wrong. Their noble names were mentioned — O the burning black disgrace! — By a brutal Saxon paper in an […]
Cities and Thrones and Powers by Rudyard Kipling
Cities and Thrones and Powers, Stand in Time’s eye, Almost as long as flowers, Which daily die: But, as new buds put forth To glad new men, Out of the spent and unconsidered Earth, The Cities rise again. This season’s Daffodil, She never hears, What change, what chance, what chill, Cut down last year’s; But […]
Cholera Camp by Rudyard Kipling
We’ve got the cholerer in camp — it’s worse than forty fights; We’re dyin’ in the wilderness the same as Isrulites; It’s before us, an’ be’ind us, an’ we cannot get away, An’ the doctor’s just reported we’ve ten more to-day! Oh, strike your camp an’ go, the Bugle’s callin’, The Rains are fallin’ — […]
Chant-Pagan by Rudyard Kipling
Me that ‘ave been what I’ve been — Me that ‘ave gone where I’ve gone — Me that ‘ave seen what I’ve seen — ‘Ow can I ever take on With awful old England again, An’ ‘ouses both sides of the street, And ‘edges two sides of the lane, And the parson an’ gentry between, […]
Cain and Abel by Rudyard Kipling
Cain and Abel were brothers born. (Koop-la! Come along, cows!) One raised cattle and one raised corn. (Koop-la! Come along! Co-hoe!) And Cain he farmed by the river-side, So he did not care how much it dried. For he banked, and he sluiced, and he ditched and he led (And the Corn don’t care for […]
By the Hoof of the Wild Goat by Rudyard Kipling
By the Hoof of the Wild Goat uptossed From the cliff where she lay in the Sun Fell the Stone To the Tarn where the daylight is lost, So she fell from the light of the Sun And alone! Now the fall was ordained from the first With the Goat and the Cliff and the […]
Boots by Rudyard Kipling
We’re foot–slog–slog–slog–sloggin’ over Africa — Foot–foot–foot–foot–sloggin’ over Africa — (Boots–boots–boots–boots–movin’ up an’ down again!) There’s no discharge in the war! Seven–six–eleven–five–nine-an’-twenty mile to-day — Four–eleven–seventeen–thirty-two the day before — (Boots–boots–boots–boots–movin’ up an’ down again!) There’s no discharge in the war! Don’t–don’t–don’t–don’t–look at what’s in front of you. (Boots–boots–boots–boots–movin’ up an’ down again); Men–men–men–men–men go mad […]
Bill ‘Awkins by Rudyard Kipling
“‘As anybody seen Bill ‘Awkins?” “Now ‘ow in the devil would I know?” “‘E’s taken my girl out walkin’, An’ I’ve got to tell ‘im so — Gawd — bless ‘im! I’ve got to tell ‘im so.” “D’yer know what ‘e’s like, Bill ‘Awkins?” “Now what in the devil would I care?” “‘E’s the livin’, […]
Belts by Rudyard Kipling
There was a row in Silver Street that’s near to Dublin Quay, Between an Irish regiment an’ English cavalree; It started at Revelly an’ it lasted on till dark: The first man dropped at Harrison’s, the last forninst the Park. For it was: — “Belts, belts, belts, an’ that’s one for you!” An’ it was […]
Before a Midnight Breaks in Storm by Rudyard Kipling
1903 Before a midnight breaks in storm, Or herded sea in wrath, Ye know what wavering gusts inform The greater tempest’s path? Till the loosed wind Drive all from mind, Except Distress, which, so will prophets cry, O’ercame them, houseless, from the unhinting sky. Ere rivers league against the land In piratry of flood, Ye […]
Army Headquarters by Rudyard Kipling
Ahasuerus Jenkins of the “Operatic Own,” Was dowered with a tenor voice of super-Santley tone. His views on equitation were, perhaps, a trifle queer. He had no seat worth mentioning, but oh! he had an ear. He clubbed his wretched company a dozen times a day; He used to quit his charger in a parabolic […]
Arithmetic on the Frontier by Rudyard Kipling
A great and glorious thing it is To learn, for seven years or so, The Lord knows what of that and this, Ere reckoned fit to face the foe — The flying bullet down the Pass, That whistles clear: “All flesh is grass.” Three hundred pounds per annum spent On making brain and body meeter […]