One-and-Twenty
Will you still need me,
will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?
--When I'm 64, Paul McCartney
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say
"Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away"
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, Rudyard Kipling
___________
Those in my generation said some silly things.
"'Hope I die before I get old,' wrote Pete Townshend, a chap who now drives around in a mobile home. 'I'd rather be dead than singing 'Satisfaction' when I'm 45,' sneered the butterfly Mick Jagger, who is now also eligible for a bus pass,'' wrote The Independent. Given: I never imagined Kieth Richards would have made it this far. And I'm not saying it's a pretty sight, either. But still. . .
It was 39 years ago today that Ranger was commissioned as a RA, Second Lieutenant of Infantry.
This is only presented so that young soldiers serving in dire circumstances can realize that they, too, will grow old. Kipling's ''If'' is a good starting place if you're looking for the grace that will carry you through.
Where did the time go?
"'Hope I die before I get old,' wrote Pete Townshend, a chap who now drives around in a mobile home. 'I'd rather be dead than singing 'Satisfaction' when I'm 45,' sneered the butterfly Mick Jagger, who is now also eligible for a bus pass,'' wrote The Independent. Given: I never imagined Kieth Richards would have made it this far. And I'm not saying it's a pretty sight, either. But still. . .
It was 39 years ago today that Ranger was commissioned as a RA, Second Lieutenant of Infantry.
This is only presented so that young soldiers serving in dire circumstances can realize that they, too, will grow old. Kipling's ''If'' is a good starting place if you're looking for the grace that will carry you through.
Where did the time go?
Labels: stay strong
posted by rangeragainstwar at 8:01 PM
3 Comments:
kipling's "if" was a great favorite of douglas macArthur's. he would often regale guests with his recitation.
there is a lot of kipling that has fallen into disfavor because he was a man of his time and his place "white man's burden" "fuzzy wuzzy" and such being more than wee bit ethnocentric for our tastes in this time.
he did have an ear for the way our language sounds. he also knew well how those sounds can convey meanings far beyond the definitions found in dictionaries. "tommy," "boots," and many others will resonate through the ranks of the grunts who stand on the battlefields in their boots, carrying their entire existence on their backs.
"When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains
And the women come out to cut up what remains
Jest roll to your rifle an' blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier."
(of course any bastards that left me wounded on the plains of afghanistan or anywhere else would have gotten my last bullet in the backs of their retreating heads)
minstrel boy,
I didn't know MacArthur loved ''If'' as well. (Same thing with one of my favorite movies, High Noon. I chose it far in advance of Mr. Clinton's election as favorite film.)
I think it's a bunch of rubbish to worry about the ethnocentric language used by writers like Mark Twain or Kipling. They were honest products of their day, and needn't be ashamed for chronicling their times. If people choose to be offended, let them amend their ways today, but not censor. Remember Santayana's warning.
I have quoted the verse you mention on Afganistan, before. If only GWB read, he might understand a thing or two.
Quick addendum:
Previous comment mine. I'm sure Ranger enjoys other films.
Maybe one day he'll provide us a film festival of his favorites.
Lisa
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