[271] If
Old favourites time again...
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
|
In the commentary to Tommy, I remarked that 'the sheer volume and diversity
of [Kipling's] poetry has made many of [his poems] famous in many different
genres'. However, 'If' goes beyond that - it is known and memorised by
people who have never otherwise heard of Kipling, beloved by those who are
not 'into poetry', solemnly taught to generations of children and reprinted
in countless anthologies.
Of course, as good as the verse is - and like nearly all Kipling's verse, it
*is* good - the poem's popularity is largely due to its subject matter. Like
Henley's 'Invictus' it is a stirring challenge to pit oneself against a
hostile universe; again, like many deservedly less famous poems it is an
example of that most beloved of genres, Good Advice to the Younger
Generation.
That the latter has not detracted from its appeal is remarkable - on the
face of it this is just the kind of poem that the system loves to forcefeed
generations of children, who in turn regard it with a 'yeah, right'
cynicism. The difference is twofold. Firstly, unlike most of the
self-conscious 'children's' poets, Kipling is genuinely *good*. The verses
breathe conviction, energy, and even excitement; whatever criticism may be
labelled against Kipling's work, dullness is not one of its faults.
Secondly, Kipling understood his audience. One need only read 'Stalky and
Co.', whose thoroughly subversive nature was way ahead of its time, to see
that. And 'If' promotes the same kind of self-reliant individualism as
Stalky does; it glorifies the gambler, the adventurer, the taker of risks.
Take another read through the poem, and note how well it fits the
protagonist of practically any adventure or heroic fantasy novel. Small
wonder, then, that it has a similar appeal, and that despite the last line,
children in general will not find the poem patronising or sententious.
On a more personal note, I've always felt that the quatrain beginning 'If
you can make one heap of all your winnings' was one of the most thoroughly
romantic pieces of verse I've encountered, capturing perfectly the grand
gesture, the moment when life hangs in the balance, when all creation holds
its breath and the universe shrinks down to the blood singing in your veins
and the faint, faraway rattle of a cosmic die. (Yes, I have been reading too
much sf&f - why do you ask?) And this brings me to the final - and perhaps
the greatest - reason this is such a memorable poem. Quite simply, it
touches people - there is almost invariably some section the reader can
relate to, that sticks in his mind because of its almost self-evident
rightness and pops up unbidden at odd moments. No, this is not the greatest
of Kipling's poems - but it may well be the farthest-reaching.
- martin
Notes:
Kipling wrote If with Dr Leander Starr Jameson in mind. In 1895, Jameson
led about 500 of his countrymen in a failed raid against the Boers, in
southern Africa. What became known as the Jameson Raid was later cited as
a major factor in bringing about the Boer War of 1899 to 1902. But the
story as recounted in Britain was quite different. The British defeat was
interpreted as a victory and Jameson portrayed as a daring hero.
-- http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/kipling-if.html
Links:
Invictus: poem #221
Other Kipling Poems on Minstrels: As a diehard Kipling fan, I have run a
number of these - rather than list them all, go to
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/index_poet.html and scroll to
Kipling.
The biography et al can be found at poem #17
From: v <zvitka@>
> If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
> If all men count with you, but none too much:
I like the poem very much and your comments. These two lines above
trouble me. As if the only way to be all the else the poet encourages one
to be, one must be detached and let no one too close to one's heart.
Z
From: Vinithbc <Vinithbc@>
Do not remember source but this poem was written with his only son in mind
who he lost to war.
> Notes:
> Kipling wrote If with Dr Leander Starr Jameson in mind. In 1895, Jameson
> led about 500 of his countrymen in a failed raid against the Boers, in
> southern Africa. What became known as the Jameson Raid was later cited
> as a major factor in bringing about the Boer War of 1899 to 1902. But
> the story as recounted in Britain was quite different. The British
> defeat was interpreted as a victory and Jameson portrayed as a daring
> hero.
From: "sapienza" <sapienza@>
IF
Rudyard Kipling in his poem ‘IF’ gives some very good advice on how to
understand human nature and therefore hoe to learn to understand oneself. He
advises on how to be patient, and how to deal with daily situations, to
remain calm and content with oneself, no matter the difficulties that we are
faced with: “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs
and blaming it on you” Despite all this you must remain a humble person:
“And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise”.
The poem ‘IF’ is a truly beautiful poem that you can go back to time and
time again, as it really offer precious guides on life, maturity and
independence. You should never loose heart, and have a very strong character
if you want to confront life: “If you can meet with triumph and disaster And
treat those two impostors just the same” “Or watch the things you gave your
life to, broken, And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools”.
It somehow connects with a man’s true nature to remain calm despite all the
turbulence around us, and if we have the strength to put into practice what
the poet advises, you will find the secret to what it really means to be an
honourable dignified human being. Remember to never be arrogant, but
remember that everybody is truly equal in mind and spirit: “If you can force
you heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they are gone”
“Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And-which is more-you’ll be
a Man, my son!
From: "sapienza" <sapienza@>
IF
Rudyard Kipling in his poem ‘IF’ gives some very good advice on how to
understand human nature and therefore hoe to learn to understand oneself. He
advises on how to be patient, and how to deal with daily situations, to
remain calm and content with oneself, no matter the difficulties that we are
faced with: “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs
and blaming it on you” Despite all this you must remain a humble person:
“And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise”.
The poem ‘IF’ is a truly beautiful poem that you can go back to time and
time again, as it really offer precious guides on life, maturity and
independence. You should never loose heart, and have a very strong character
if you want to confront life: “If you can meet with triumph and disaster And
treat those two impostors just the same” “Or watch the things you gave your
life to, broken, And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools”.
It somehow connects with a man’s true nature to remain calm despite all the
turbulence around us, and if we have the strength to put into practice what
the poet advises, you will find the secret to what it really means to be an
honourable dignified human being. Remember to never be arrogant, but
remember that everybody is truly equal in mind and spirit: “If you can force
you heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they are gone”
“Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And-which is more-you’ll be
a Man, my son!
By Michale Sapienza
From: Edward Little <elittle@>
An often unnoticed mark of genius in this poem is how, over
and over again, it deals with opposites.
From: R Bhyat <rbhyat@>
What strikes me most about this poem is that Kipling seems to be
indicating that the
physical (material) world is an illusion nothing more and nothing less.
If we can play the game
of life in such a way that we live a life of balance and are not too
attached to any particular outcome - hence his abundant use of
'opposites' - and yet have the fortitude of starting afresh, then we
have learnt to let go of the ego-self and any physical attachments
(attachments to people are also regarded as physical attachments -common
to many philosophies) and have come to the realization that the world is
in fact an 'ultra-real 3d virtual-reality' game, and that to transcend
our ego-personality selves this would be the way that such a person
would behave. In effect, Kipling seems to be saying: Align yourself to
your spiritual self which exists outside of space-time and therefore is
eternal; and not your ego-personality(physical) self which sees death as
its ultimate end. In so doing you will live ethically, in the present
moment, harm no-one and help many, give much but ask for nothing in
return and ultimately you will experience 'happiness'. Kipling
repeatedly alludes to life as being a game. Just a game play it well by
the rules outlined.
A more religious interpretation (though whether Kipling intended it or
not is debatable), is in
respect of the last two lines : Yours is the Earth and everything
that's in it; and which is more, you'll be a man, my son. These two
lines could cast the entire poem in a different light in that
Kipling may not necessarily be talking to his son, but God (or the
Universal Supreme Being ) is in fact talking to man about the guidelines
of behavior on earth in order to live an ethical life free from
attachment to the ego-personality self and in line with his spiritual
self. (see paragraph 1).
from
R Bhyat
rbhyat@
From: WdWoodworks@
I think it is a great poem. It really shows people how to be a real man. If I
was a man I would really be inspired!! I love this poem!
From: "Garry Coates" <gcoates@>
If
---
The relevance of this poem to everyday right now is outstanding. Real,
important things in life do not change.
I have re-read it many times and it always impacts me strongly.
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From: Raymond Saucillo <rsaucillo@>
Was browsing for inspiration and saw your comment on 'If'. I agree with your statement. I think a 'man' can should be able to feel totally and deeply, be able to understand that, and ultimately prevail from any pain that may come.
From: "Marzena Reich" <mreich@>
Unlike most of you I only met with "If." as a very adult person. I am
Polish, and the imperial sentiments never spoke much to us, or touched a
nerve, so Kipling is only known in Poland as the autor of Jungle Books,
and
little discussed.
What hit me with this text when I first read it is that its vision of
worthy
life was anti thesis of hedonism.
I read it today after a scene that might be taken from the very verses.
A
crushing criticism of all life's work, condemnation of something I gave
everything to. And what sprang to my mind at the closure, but the "if."?
Thanks, Rudyard Kipling.
Marzena
From: "Jessica K. Schnell" <jks26@>
I like this poem, not only because it's my boyfriend's favorite, but
because it's resounding and thoughtful and loving.