Selected Poems

by Rudyard Kipling, Andrew Rutherford (Foreword), Peter Keating (Editor)

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) is often regarded as the unofficial Laureate of the British Empire. Yet his writing reveals a ferociously independent figure at times violently opposed to the dominant political and literary tendencies of his age. Arranged in chronological order, this diverse selection of his poetry shows the development of Kipling's talent, his deepening maturity and the growing sombreness of his poetic vision. Ranging from early, exhilarating celebrations of British expansion overseas, including 'Mandalay' and 'Gunga Din', to the dignified and inspirational 'If -' and the later, deeply moving 'Epitaphs of the War' - inspired by the death of Kipling's only son - it clearly illustrates the scope and originality of his work. It also offers a compelling insight into the Empire both at its peak and during its decline in the early years of the twentieth century.

Genres: Poetry, Classics

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was a journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist.

Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".

Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."

Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."

Reviews

[Lewis Woolston · Rating 5 out of 5]

My interest in Kipling was started by Orwell.
In one of his essays Orwell stated that people with a reactionary or pessimistic view of life tended to be justified by events because utopias never arrive and the "Gods of the copybook headings" as Kipling put it, always return.
I thought that was a funny phrase so i got this book and read the poem "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" straight away. Not only is it a brilliant poem it is one of the most profound pieces of wisdom ever committed to paper. It should be mandatory reading for kids in school, it might prevent some of them getting into stupid leftist groups when they get to University.
There is not a single dud poem in this collection although some of them stand out more than others. I enjoyed every page of this book. Kipling had a grasp of the historical, the political and the theological. It's obvious he was the beneficiary of a Classical education and i am more convinced than ever we need to bring Classical educations back.
But Kipling was also warm and humane and had an eye for nature and beauty. The balance of these impulses are what lift him to ultimate greatness.
Read this book now.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gifted versifier.

[Nanto]

ada Puisi ini gak yah di buku ini,

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 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!

Silakan klik link berikut untuk membaca artikel Kipling yang lain dengan judul The Uses of Reading. Kupasannya tentang membaca yang buat saya menarik. Apakah membaca itu benar, buat masing-masing pribadi adalah sesuatu yang berguna atau semata kesibukan yang dicari-cari dalam keluangan waktu?

[Harrison Gorst · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most brilliant poets of all time.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

listening to poetry is better than reading it. Poetry is meant to be read aloud. the rhythm just makes it so much better.

[Will Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong collection of poems by Kipling, arranged chronologically for our convenience. The poems generally get shorter as the book progresses, making some of the earlier poems a little tedious to get through - especially considering Kipling’s use of colloquial dialect! Good explanation of specific words in the ‘notes’ section at the back of the book, with an effective index too. ‘Eddi’s Service’ was not included in the anthology, which I thought a shame - especially considering its fame and sophistication. Nonetheless, a good and thorough collection of his verse, and a good place to start for anyone taking an interest in Kipling.

[Dylan Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine selection of poems from a master of the short story, seldom discussed apart from a few examples, but the poems are as varied as his stories.

[Nick Munene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Page Reached: 93

I tried to take a break from prose so I picked up the first poetry book I found in my local library whose collection is very limited. IF is one of my all-time favourite poems and I couldn't wait to dig in and find a few better than IF. Over three months later I have barely gotten through a quarter in so I gave up.

One of the reasons is because I couldn't 'hear' the flow of some of the poems and all those alternative spelling of words to denote this flow put me off. I'm sure those poems would read better accompanied by an audio version of the book.

The main reason, however, was that Kipling's imperialist and obviously racist sentiments echo throughout his poems and I just had enough of that; I'm still in my youthful idealist phase obviously so this is only natural. Also, in a bid to capture the zeitgeist of my time, I shan't be partaking in the works of a problematic old white man when there are way more deserving poets to discover.

I did find a few poems here and there that I quite loved and also my sentiments on IF did not change, I still love that powerful poem. I'm currently enjoying the selected poems of Borges and I'm snorting every line and coming back for more! Borges is everything and so much more.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's very rare that anything I select to read gets just one star, but these 'Selected Poems' from Rudyard Kipling really hit that low mark. There must be around one hundred and seventy poems in this collection and I struggled to like half a dozen. From the man that wrote 'If', this was a big let down. The work is set out in chronological order, and does show some sort of maturity in the later poems, but generally I found them repetitive in metre, sombre in tone and outdated in subject matter.
Mr Kipling may make exceedingly good cakes, but his poetry is crummy.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it hard to get into this collection of Kipling's poetry even though his writing is accessible and I find the subject matter interesting. The focus is on India in the british empire, the armed colonial forces and an emotional take on expat life.

I found the notes useful in that they contextualise the poetry but limited as they're brief.