Thursday, November 8, 2007

If

Hey, this is Charanya! My teacher showed me this poem a while back when he just had his son. I think it really reflects the pride a parent would have in trying to inspire and teach their child how to survive unfortunate experiences in life. Here is the poem by Rudyard Kipling.

IF

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!

3 comments:

ENG3U Student said...

Charanya,

I'm really excited that you posted this poem. As I was reading it I noticed that a band I listen to called Brand New actually references this poem in one of their songs. Their song "Sowing Season" uses the following lines of the poem: "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"

I had no idea that they were the words of Rudyard Kipling. Thanks for posting. Btw, you can stream the song I was talking about here:

http://www.myspace.com/brandnew

Let me know what you think of how they've set Kipling to music.

Regards,
Mr. G

ENG3U Student said...

Cool poem, Charanya. I thought this line was really inspirational: "If you can fill the unforgiving minute / With sixty seconds' worth of distance run" It's the kind of thing that sticks with you.
- Amal

ENG3U Student said...

ahhh yes those inspirational words pour like sweet honey in this poem. quite inspirational indeed Charanya! i can't really chose a favourite line like Amal did, however. i guess i just liked the whole poem itself. the word "if" truly emphasizes all the possibilities out there.

~~~Bagavathy :D