tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post5689313147042017636..comments2024-03-28T19:58:17.811+00:00Comments on Wargaming Miscellany: Mr Kipling ... writes exceedingly good poetryRobert (Bob) Corderyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-72444228157743727712017-12-06T16:33:59.904+00:002017-12-06T16:33:59.904+00:00Jonathan Freitag,
Cheers ... although the actor D...Jonathan Freitag,<br /><br />Cheers ... although the actor David Haig, who portrayed Kipling in MY BOY JACK bears a greater resemblance to the great man than I do.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-20861866037259318062017-12-06T10:28:46.247+00:002017-12-06T10:28:46.247+00:00Bob, I find it striking the similarity between the...Bob, I find it striking the similarity between the photo of Kipling and your own, icon photo remarkable (hence my remark!). With a little less hair on top and chin, you might be indistinguishable.Jonathan Freitaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07862373894196924886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-61128513054193301212017-12-05T17:26:50.819+00:002017-12-05T17:26:50.819+00:00Guy,
I'd like to think that most authors woul...Guy,<br /><br />I'd like to think that most authors wouldn't make similar mistakes ... but having managed to spell someone's name wrong in the proof copy of my latest book (luckily it was spotted before the book was published), it is easily done.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-12111621381076815112017-12-05T16:52:36.443+00:002017-12-05T16:52:36.443+00:00Many years ago my father used to go on these battl...Many years ago my father used to go on these battlefield tours with Holts when they were lead by Major H and his wife. At the time he was writing a book on Kipling's search for his son who was lost on the western front in WWI. Having supplied said major with all sorts of information for the book about Kipling's masonic career, poetry etc, he got dad's name completely wrong in the credits. Dad always said that just about summed up the book. <br /><br />Guyguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02346804356499461777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-56181440540376686592017-12-05T08:19:46.557+00:002017-12-05T08:19:46.557+00:00Robbie Rodiss,
It is much easier to be critical a...Robbie Rodiss,<br /><br />It is much easier to be critical about someone who's work you haven't read, especially if it was written during a period of history that you don't understand.<br /><br />Perhaps like Shakespeare (much of who's work was written to gain favour in the highly politically-charged Elizabethan/Jacobean era when it was vital to praise the Tudors and later the Stuarts) it will be several more hundred years before Kipling's work can be read for what it is rather than for what it is perceived to represent.<br /><br />I totally agree that Kipling loved India, its people, and the common British soldier; it shines through in everything he writes.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />Bob<br />Robert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-18336424656536177022017-12-04T14:54:39.800+00:002017-12-04T14:54:39.800+00:00Thanks for writing this piece Bob. Kipling has had...Thanks for writing this piece Bob. Kipling has had some bad press from various groups who clearly know nothing of this wonderful man. If they did they would realise just how much Kipling loved India and its peoples. They would also realise how much empathy he had with the common British soldier who had to protect the sub continent.It would be wonderful if schools brought his works back into the curriculum, but of course that will never happen. <br />Independentwargamesgrouphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07019172667119107650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-34713370364149733362017-12-04T07:51:03.856+00:002017-12-04T07:51:03.856+00:00Pat G,
Agreed; it has a great message that has me...Pat G,<br /><br />Agreed; it has a great message that has meaning even in today's society.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-72940974511970583422017-12-03T23:22:28.507+00:002017-12-03T23:22:28.507+00:00Alastair,
Kipling's work is certainly unfashi...Alastair,<br /><br />Kipling's work is certainly unfashionable these days, but my experience is that his harshest critics have rarely read much of what he wrote.<br /><br />Batemans is fascinating, and during my last visit I was able to explain to a member of staff the significance of some of the Masonic items on show.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-80335274369878655152017-12-03T23:22:19.166+00:002017-12-03T23:22:19.166+00:00Tommy - not the best constructed perhaps but the m...Tommy - not the best constructed perhaps but the message wins out.PatGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00379668269395518541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-84044433554345446432017-12-03T23:01:27.555+00:002017-12-03T23:01:27.555+00:00I think Kipling's poetry is pretty unfashionab...I think Kipling's poetry is pretty unfashionable these days and as a hardened lefty I think I'm meant to disapprove of his Imperialist legacy but actually I've always been a huge fan of both his poems and fiction! Have you been to Batemans? Fascinating place to visit.alastairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15012644168758721189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-21138384567425046632017-12-03T22:05:54.356+00:002017-12-03T22:05:54.356+00:00Mike Hall,
That is some tome you have there! I ca...Mike Hall,<br /><br />That is some tome you have there! I can see why the Kindle version would be so attractive a purchase.<br /><br />I agree that an alphabetical list if titles and index of first lines is extremely useful, and I used both frequently when writing my recent lecture.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-15419814754242195062017-12-03T22:00:53.365+00:002017-12-03T22:00:53.365+00:00Archduke Piccolo,
Kipling was a great storyteller...Archduke Piccolo,<br /><br />Kipling was a great storyteller, and I suspect that is why his narrative poems tend to be amongst his best.<br /><br />Racism is one of those terms that is very easily applied retrospectively to things like Kipling's work, but ithe literature of the period needs to be seen in terms of the time when it was written.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-41017760353858525032017-12-03T21:49:35.992+00:002017-12-03T21:49:35.992+00:00Mike Hall,
I suspect that you might well be right...Mike Hall,<br /><br />I suspect that you might well be right about IF!<br /><br />You have named several poems that I also enjoy reading, particularly ARITHMETIC ON THE FRONTIER.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-69556899455317244162017-12-03T21:27:14.642+00:002017-12-03T21:27:14.642+00:00My copy is "The Definitive Edition of Rudyard...My copy is "The Definitive Edition of Rudyard Kipling's Verse", Hodder and Stoughton, 1986, £16.95 net in UK. 845 pages plus those at the front given Roman numerals. It's size and weight is one reason I wanted a kindle version.<br /><br />In fact I spent 45p on a kindle version earlier today. Much better than the ones I looked at a few years ago but it lacks an alphabetical list of titles or an index of first lines, both of which are really needed in addition to the normal table of contents.Mike Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05231537324248937676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-79150294619343608242017-12-03T21:14:50.450+00:002017-12-03T21:14:50.450+00:00I definitely wouldn't have IF as my favourite....I definitely wouldn't have IF as my favourite. In fact I'm tempted to say that it's the favorite Kipling poem of people who've not read Kipling's poems.<br /><br />If I were to pick a famous one it would probably be something like "The Way Through the Woods" but I'm partial to things like "Arithmetic on the Frontier", "Danny Deever" and "The 'Eathen". I could go on but this list would quickly get too long and obscure!Mike Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05231537324248937676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-56853001389310458892017-12-03T20:01:53.228+00:002017-12-03T20:01:53.228+00:00Archduke Piccolo'
The rhythm of the poem matc...Archduke Piccolo'<br /><br />The rhythm of the poem matches the pace of each step made by a soldier during a forced march. As such it is an excellent poem or song to set the right pace for mrching men.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-38670293628305590892017-12-03T19:55:21.527+00:002017-12-03T19:55:21.527+00:00Archduke Piccolo,
Bearing in mind the subject of ...Archduke Piccolo,<br /><br />Bearing in mind the subject of the main part of the poem seems to be about the singer's love for a local Burnese girl, I would have thought that it would unwise for impressionable schoolboys to sing anything other than the first and last verses!<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-28750018331269090992017-12-03T19:53:29.317+00:002017-12-03T19:53:29.317+00:00The copy I have here is 'The Works of Rudyard ...The copy I have here is 'The Works of Rudyard Kipling, published by The Wordsworth Poetry Library 1995. What I called George Orwell's 'Foreword' is actually an essay written in 1942, which has been included by way of an introduction. <br /><br />My favourites tend to be his narrative poems, such as 'The Ballad of East and West', 'Fuzzy-Wuzzy' and 'Gunga Din' all justly popular in their time. Racist? Sure, but 'racism' is a modern term, and what we read here is not the racism of the conqueror seeking to justify his conquest. Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-23577116082316011902017-12-03T19:35:08.565+00:002017-12-03T19:35:08.565+00:00Thanks, Mike Hall for the link. I never knew so m...Thanks, Mike Hall for the link. I never knew so many of Kipling's verses were set to music. I do remember 'Boots' form some British sitcom (Bootsie and Snudge, possibly).<br />Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-75643623083248360362017-12-03T19:28:04.185+00:002017-12-03T19:28:04.185+00:00I recall singing 'Road to Mandalay' at sch...I recall singing 'Road to Mandalay' at school assembly. Just the first stanza, and possibly the last, you understand, which makes the thing a nostalgia for a place, rather than a very personal memory.<br />Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-65632639657656897982017-12-03T15:18:39.395+00:002017-12-03T15:18:39.395+00:00David Bradley,
Thanks for the suggestion. It soun...David Bradley,<br /><br />Thanks for the suggestion. It sounds as if it would fit in very nicely with my collection of Kipling's work.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-38144968993135977502017-12-03T15:16:23.707+00:002017-12-03T15:16:23.707+00:00Mike Hall,
Most people I know cite 'IF ..'...Mike Hall,<br /><br />Most people I know cite 'IF ..' as their favourite poem. It is good, but being a Freemason and a wargamer with a preference for the Colonial period, I prefer this poem as it seems to have greater relevance for me.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-52833559017219699182017-12-03T15:12:04.638+00:002017-12-03T15:12:04.638+00:00Mike Hall,
Thanks for the link. I knew some of th...Mike Hall,<br /><br />Thanks for the link. I knew some of the poems had been set to music, but not how many.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-89853882834491872082017-12-03T15:09:39.873+00:002017-12-03T15:09:39.873+00:00Archduke Piccolo,
So Orwell though that Kipling w...Archduke Piccolo,<br /><br />So Orwell though that Kipling wrote 'good bad poetry'? Interesting ... and not a great surprise considering Orwell's experience of working as a policeman in Burma whilst it was part of British India.<br /><br />I think hat you are right about Kipling being more of a lyricist that full-blown poet, which is probably why so many of them ended up being set to music.<br /><br />You are right about the sixth stanza having Masonic references, but the final stanza is the Tyler's Toast almost word-for-word.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-76004184097682684472017-12-03T14:13:44.114+00:002017-12-03T14:13:44.114+00:00One of the best collections of Kipling's poetr...One of the best collections of Kipling's poetry is Marghanita Laski's "Kiplings History" published in 1974 by the BBC - still available on the 2nd hand market which includes the poem you refer to. David Bradleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07049301817234820026noreply@blogger.com