Rudyard Kipling’s “If–”
A Lesson In Manhood
For a particular poem to retain its power across years and generations, it must give expression to something that transcends the passing of time, and do so in such an exquisitely memorable manner that it simply cannot be imitated or remade. Competitors and critics may sally forth and give it battle; lesser authors may adopt its theme or mimic its style; but its image will remain—an image somehow more perfect, and more captivating of a deeper truth, than any other that belongs to the civilization which holds it dear.
Although the English world is blessed with much extraordinary poetry—so much so, that even a sampling of its finest works could fill many volumes—there are, I think, a few selections whose elite status is beyond question. I will not attempt to compile such a list here; but I happily proffer Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem “If–” as one such creation which has earned its place of glory.
For those unfamiliar with the poem, it is perhaps helpful to know that Kipling wrote “If–” at the height of his popularity in Britain, when he was the most representative author of one of the greatest empires the world had ever seen. Appearing in 1910, shortly after Kipling received his Nobel Prize for Literature, “If–” stands as one of the quintessential exhortations to the inculcation of maturity, courage, and self-discipline in its reader—of what Victorian and Edwardian society would have proudly called the manly virtues.
With just four brief stanzas to the entire poem, it is at once a stunningly succinct and fascinating piece. It begins:
Proceeding thus, we see that Kipling’s unusual, if pithy, choice of title takes on a new importance from the poem’s first line. It is apparent that the conditional word “if” is not merely the idle vanguard of each verse—it symbolically represents that very pivot of free will upon which our lives turn, and therefore implies the weight of a struggle which might or might not be fulfilled. The possibility of failure looms like a shadow over all that follows. It is as if Kipling wants his readers to feel the risk of this journey through the labyrinthine contradictions of life; and he warns us according to the fate of most men, which is the threat of succumbing to the hatred, calumny, and thoughtless impatience of the world.
Following from the first stanza, the poem ascends through a series of additional aspirations and virtues, raising us to contemplate ever more lofty standards of attainment. Many of these memorable lines have been adopted as if mottoes for the boldest ventures in human discovery and commerce; others have been engraved upon the architraves of storied sporting arenas, as with the couplet famously adorning the Centre Court of the Championships at Wimbledon:
Accordingly, perseverance and right character are given as superior to victory itself. But it is sorely misleading to describe this poem, in the common way, as a simple paean to individualistic stoicism—for there is really much that is Aristotelian, and not a little that is Christian, in the ethics it propounds. Particularly in the final stanza, we find that Kipling draws his reader beyond the pinnacles of strength and endurance, and towards a sort of balance, or ability to grasp the precise measure of the good in a variety of changing circumstances.
.............................
Read more: www.crisismagazine.com
Although the English world is blessed with much extraordinary poetry—so much so, that even a sampling of its finest works could fill many volumes—there are, I think, a few selections whose elite status is beyond question. I will not attempt to compile such a list here; but I happily proffer Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem “If–” as one such creation which has earned its place of glory.
For those unfamiliar with the poem, it is perhaps helpful to know that Kipling wrote “If–” at the height of his popularity in Britain, when he was the most representative author of one of the greatest empires the world had ever seen. Appearing in 1910, shortly after Kipling received his Nobel Prize for Literature, “If–” stands as one of the quintessential exhortations to the inculcation of maturity, courage, and self-discipline in its reader—of what Victorian and Edwardian society would have proudly called the manly virtues.
With just four brief stanzas to the entire poem, it is at once a stunningly succinct and fascinating piece. It begins:
If you can keep your head when all about youAre 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
Proceeding thus, we see that Kipling’s unusual, if pithy, choice of title takes on a new importance from the poem’s first line. It is apparent that the conditional word “if” is not merely the idle vanguard of each verse—it symbolically represents that very pivot of free will upon which our lives turn, and therefore implies the weight of a struggle which might or might not be fulfilled. The possibility of failure looms like a shadow over all that follows. It is as if Kipling wants his readers to feel the risk of this journey through the labyrinthine contradictions of life; and he warns us according to the fate of most men, which is the threat of succumbing to the hatred, calumny, and thoughtless impatience of the world.
Following from the first stanza, the poem ascends through a series of additional aspirations and virtues, raising us to contemplate ever more lofty standards of attainment. Many of these memorable lines have been adopted as if mottoes for the boldest ventures in human discovery and commerce; others have been engraved upon the architraves of storied sporting arenas, as with the couplet famously adorning the Centre Court of the Championships at Wimbledon:
If you can meet with Triumph and DisasterAnd treat those two imposters just the same
Accordingly, perseverance and right character are given as superior to victory itself. But it is sorely misleading to describe this poem, in the common way, as a simple paean to individualistic stoicism—for there is really much that is Aristotelian, and not a little that is Christian, in the ethics it propounds. Particularly in the final stanza, we find that Kipling draws his reader beyond the pinnacles of strength and endurance, and towards a sort of balance, or ability to grasp the precise measure of the good in a variety of changing circumstances.
.............................
Read more: www.crisismagazine.com
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