…now and again, this ol’ Jurassic takes a pot at scribbling what might be loosely called ‘poetry’, but when the whimsy is on me, I revert to delving into books such as the Collected Poems Of Rudyard Kipling… I find in those kinda pages distilled wisdom that is ageless… this afternoon I happened back across that wunnerful offering, the great man’s magnificent ‘IF’… I’ll append it at the end of this post for emb’dy who wants to read it all as it’s well WURTH a measured read… but meantime, let me pick out a coupla gems from it…
…’If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;…
…it has taken me all of multi decades of experience to acknowledge that eternal truth… emotion has the capacity to so easily run away with my sense of balance in many things… hopefully over the years, that has tempered down sum’what… the other day, I mentioned in the blog about a balanced approach to reviews that we quill-scrapers get for our wee masterpieces from time to time… there’s nowt wrong with savouring the moment when a genuine compliment comes yer way about yer WURK… but don’t get overwrought when sumb’dy doesn’t share yer own LUV for yer novel…
…the other pearl I enjoy so much is this:
‘…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!…’
…for me as an Author that translates to filling my time usefully, not necessarily banging my head against needless deadlines… enjoying the literary ‘stroll through the garden, smelling the roses’… there now, that’s enuff of my cogitating for one post… here’s the whole of ‘IF’… see yeez later… LUV YEEZ!…
ALL MY BLOG POSTS ARE FREE TO SHARE OR RE-BLOG SHOULD YOU SO WISH—BE MY GUEST!
IF… by Rudyard Kipling
(‘Brother Square-Toes’—Rewards and Fairies)
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!
One of my all time favourites, Seumas, and full of wonderful advice for anyone… I refuse to be a man 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
:):):) LUV IT! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just lovely, Seumas. Kipling is one of my favorite poets. Thanks so much for sharing that with us. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
..and he was so prolific, m’Lady, Suzanne:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow…great poetry, Seumas!! I’m impressed 🙂 Have a great weekend that man!
LikeLiked by 1 person
…the man wrote really gritty stuff… all ‘ponderable’ :):)
LikeLiked by 1 person
THIS was drummed into me as I grew up Seumas 😀
I don’t know if it made me a better person than I would otherwise have been, but it did give me pause for thought many times in my life when decisions had to be made and consequences lived with.
LikeLiked by 1 person
..all good stuff, that man:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great poem although I agree with Sue
LikeLiked by 1 person
..as well you both may, m’Lady, Olga! 🙂
LikeLike
What a shame his relationship with his son was so tragic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
…indeed, m’Lady, Jane 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person