Monday, June 21, 2004
Going poetic today
Well everything seems to be perfect today. The climate I mean. It is cool, drizzling and very cosy. Somehow am feeling very romantic and poetic. Thought of sharing some of my favourite poems. The one by Rudyard kipling is my favorite. It reminds me of Sri Krishna in " THE BHAGAVADGITA" wherein he tries to explain Arjuna the essence of a well balanced person or a "sthithapragnya". I can very well relate to the readings from "The GITA" to this poem by Rudyard Kipling ..... Very inspiring and enlightening.
IF
By Rudyard Kipling
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 all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath 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!
Kipling is said to have written the poem 'If' with Dr Leander Starr Jameson in mind, who led about five-hundred of his countrymen in a failed raid against the Boers, in southern Africa. The 'Jameson Raid' was later considered a major factor in starting the Boer War (1899-1902).
Courtesy: www.businessballs.com/ifpoemrudyardkipling.htm
My other favourite poem is by Robert Frost. This one is known by many But I remember reading it as part of my English text. I really liked it and now feel like reading it again.
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
courtesy:http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html
IF
By Rudyard Kipling
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 all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath 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!
Kipling is said to have written the poem 'If' with Dr Leander Starr Jameson in mind, who led about five-hundred of his countrymen in a failed raid against the Boers, in southern Africa. The 'Jameson Raid' was later considered a major factor in starting the Boer War (1899-1902).
Courtesy: www.businessballs.com/ifpoemrudyardkipling.htm
My other favourite poem is by Robert Frost. This one is known by many But I remember reading it as part of my English text. I really liked it and now feel like reading it again.
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
courtesy:http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html
Comments:
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The poem is great. I guess its an ideal poem to be stuck on the wall near everyone's desk.
For the IF, we can add a BUT.
When you read about the concept of utopia, it definetly seems plausible for such a world to exist.
Similary,eventhough being a MAN according to this poem is really tough its not impossible. But deep in our mind we know that we can not be like that at all. This brings the question
'then why write it ?'
why write something that pleases your mind, that describes something so alluding but unreachable?
what else do we gain by this other than feeding our own intellect? the fact is humans loose their existence... life comes to a standstill if such a state is reached.
not that I hate being in that state of mind, but i am almost convinced that its never going to happen.
For the IF, we can add a BUT.
When you read about the concept of utopia, it definetly seems plausible for such a world to exist.
Similary,eventhough being a MAN according to this poem is really tough its not impossible. But deep in our mind we know that we can not be like that at all. This brings the question
'then why write it ?'
why write something that pleases your mind, that describes something so alluding but unreachable?
what else do we gain by this other than feeding our own intellect? the fact is humans loose their existence... life comes to a standstill if such a state is reached.
not that I hate being in that state of mind, but i am almost convinced that its never going to happen.
Hi Vallabhi,
I really like your style of writing. It's full of enthusiasm and witty style. Did u pick that style from Ram?:) or did Ram pick it from you?:).
I really like your style of writing. It's full of enthusiasm and witty style. Did u pick that style from Ram?:) or did Ram pick it from you?:).
To Sham:
Hmm, So u think Rudyard Kipling was being to idealistic? I think he was talking about composure, selflessness,confidence and the traits of a winner. Well, we need not follow all what he said and yes it's difficult to do so, but we can surely pick one or two to better ourselves.
"To err is human".Hence no one asks for perfection. The poem can be used as a guideline, especially when one is depressed or in a state of commotion. When "Shri Kirshna" narrates "The Bhagavadita" to Arjuna,he does not expect Arjuna to follow whatever he says. But it did help Kirshna to instill confidence in him.
I think this poem also serves a similar purpose .
Hmm, So u think Rudyard Kipling was being to idealistic? I think he was talking about composure, selflessness,confidence and the traits of a winner. Well, we need not follow all what he said and yes it's difficult to do so, but we can surely pick one or two to better ourselves.
"To err is human".Hence no one asks for perfection. The poem can be used as a guideline, especially when one is depressed or in a state of commotion. When "Shri Kirshna" narrates "The Bhagavadita" to Arjuna,he does not expect Arjuna to follow whatever he says. But it did help Kirshna to instill confidence in him.
I think this poem also serves a similar purpose .
Oh, thanks a lott, i thgt its only me who visit my blog regularly,hehe..
well,to be very frank, i never ever thought that i wud start something like this,i mean bloggin',i m not that gud in expressin' things,i used to be very much descriptive in my school days just for one nobel cause and that was to fill up more n more pages and to fetch more marks,hehe.Moreover, in my profession, u just can't be descriptive,what matters most is the 'to the point' approach, so may be that's the main culprit to make me change the way i write.Comin' to the resemblance in writin, i dont think there is any, bcoz Ram's style is totally different,he knows how to play with his words,i dont think i have a style even,i just write whatever i feel like.
well,to be very frank, i never ever thought that i wud start something like this,i mean bloggin',i m not that gud in expressin' things,i used to be very much descriptive in my school days just for one nobel cause and that was to fill up more n more pages and to fetch more marks,hehe.Moreover, in my profession, u just can't be descriptive,what matters most is the 'to the point' approach, so may be that's the main culprit to make me change the way i write.Comin' to the resemblance in writin, i dont think there is any, bcoz Ram's style is totally different,he knows how to play with his words,i dont think i have a style even,i just write whatever i feel like.
Well, thanks for all those insightful comments:). Well, most often I keep clicking the button more than once and so the same message gets repeated. Hence I have to delete the repeated ones.
And Well, everyone who writes has a style of their own but they can get influenced by certain people in certain way.
Well, Vallabhi,by style I meant that sometimes there are certain words which you use similar to Ram's and that is what makes me feel that you both think in a similar way and so write similarly.
I might be wrong too.
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And Well, everyone who writes has a style of their own but they can get influenced by certain people in certain way.
Well, Vallabhi,by style I meant that sometimes there are certain words which you use similar to Ram's and that is what makes me feel that you both think in a similar way and so write similarly.
I might be wrong too.
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