# "Tommy Atkins" by Rudyard Kipling **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 30, 2005, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-atkins-by-rudyard-kipling/337696 "2005-12-30T06:47:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-atkins-by-rudyard-kipling/337696/21 "2006-01-02T14:09:19Z")
**Hymn Before Action** 1896 The earth is full of anger, The seas are dark with wrath, The Nations in their harness Go up against our path: Ere yet we draw the blade, Jehovah of the Thunders, Lord God of Battles, aid! High lust and froward bearing, Proud heart, rebellious brow – Deaf ear and soul uncaring, We seek My mercy now! The sinner that forswore Thee, The fool that passed Thee by, Our times are known before Thee – Lord, grant us strength to die! For those who kneel beside us At altars not Thine own, Who lack the lights that guide us, Lord, let their faith atone! If wrong we did to call them, By honour bound they came; Let not Thy Wrath befall them, But deal to us the blame. From panic, pride, and terror Revenge that knows no rein – Light haste and lawless error, Protect us yet again, Cloke Thou our undeserving, Make firm the shuddering breath, In silence and unswerving To taste Thy lesser death. Ah, Mary pierced with sorrow, Remember, reach and save The soul that comes to-morrow Before the God that gave! Since each was born of woman, For each at utter need – True comrade and true foeman – Madonna, intercede! E’en now their vanguard gathers, E’en now we face the fray – As Thou didst help our fathers, Help Thou our host to-day. Fulfilled of signs and wonders, In life, in death made clear – Jehovah of the Thunders, Lord God of Battles, hear! **Recessional** (A Victorian Ode) God of our fathers, known of old – Lord of our far-flung battle line – Beneath whose awful hand we hold Dominion over palm and pine – Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget – lest we forget! The tumult and the shouting dies – The Captains and the Kings depart – Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget – lest we forget! Far-called our navies melt away – On dune and headland sinks the fire – Lo, all our pomp of yesterday Is one with Nineveh and Tyre! Judge of the Nations, spare us yet, Lest we forget – lest we forget! If, drunk with sight of power, we loose Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe – Such boastings as the Gentiles use, Or lesser breeds without the Law – Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget – lest we forget! For heathen heart that puts her trust In reeking tube and iron shard – All valiant dust that builds on dust, And guarding calls not Thee to guard. For frantic boast and foolish word, Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord! Amen. \*\*The Gods of the Copybook Headings \*\* As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race I make my proper prostrations to the gods of the market place Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall But the gods of the copybook headings, I notice, outlast them all We were living in trees when they met us, and showed us each in turn That water would certianly wet us and fire would certianly burn But we found them lacking uplift, vision and depth of mind So we left them to teach the gorillas as we followed the march of mankind We moved as the spirit listed, they never altered there pace Being neither cloud- nor windborne like the gods of the market place But they alway caught up with our progress, and presently word would come That a tribe had been wiped off it’s icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome With the hopes that our world is built on, they were utterly out of touch They denied that the moon is Stilton, they denied that she’s even Dutch They denied that wishes were horses, they denied that pigs had wings So we worshipped the gods of the market, who promised these beautiful things When the Cambrian measures were forming they promised perpetual peace They swore, if we lay down our weapons, the wars of the tribes would cease But when we disarmed they sold us, and delivered us bound to our foe And the gods of the copybook headings said, “Stick to the devil you know” On the first Feminian sandstones they promised the fuller life Which started by loving our neighbour, and ended by loving his wife 'til our women had no more children, and our men lost reason and faith And the gods of the copybook headings said, “The wages of sin is death” In the Caboniferous Epoch they promised abundance for all By robbing selected Peter to pay for colletive Paul And though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy And the gods of the copybook headings said, “If you don’t work, you die” Then the gods of the market tumbled, and their smooth tounged wizards withdrew And the hearts of the meanest were humbled, and began to believe it was true That all is not gold that glitters, and two and two make four And the gods of the copybook headings limped up to explain it once more That as it will be in the future, it was at the dawn of man Only four things certian since social progress began That a dog return to its vomit, and a sow returns to her mire And the burnt fools bandaged finger, goes wobbling back to the fire When all this has been acomplished and a brave new world begins Where all men are paid for existing, and no man must pay for his sins As surely as water will wet us and as surely as fire will burn The gods of the copybook headings with terror and slaughter return ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-atkins-by-rudyard-kipling/337696/22 "2006-01-02T15:14:52Z")
I’d come back to post “Recessional,” too. Glad to see it’s already here. Kipling wrote it at the time of the pomp and hoopla of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubliee in 1897. Particularly today, as we wonder about our great republic’s commitments and war(s) overseas, it’s a good poem to keep in mind. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-atkins-by-rudyard-kipling/337696/23 "2006-01-02T16:12:46Z")
> [@Elendil's Heir](#): > > I’d come back to post “Recessional,” too. Glad to see it’s already here. Kipling wrote it at the time of the pomp and hoopla of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubliee in 1897. Particularly today, as we wonder about our great republic’s commitments and war(s) overseas, it’s a good poem to keep in mind. I first encountered “Recessional” in the closing of the Taylor Caldwell novel which had its title in the last stanza CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS. Then I found its predecessor “Hymn Before Action” in a Kipling collection. Finally, the Birchite monthly journal AMERICAN OPINION printed “Gods…” ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-atkins-by-rudyard-kipling/337696/24 "2006-01-02T23:36:50Z")
The Story of Ung is a good attack on critics, and too long to post here. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-atkins-by-rudyard-kipling/337696/25 "2006-01-03T01:24:12Z")
Then there’s [McDonough’s Song](http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors/K/KiplingRudyard/verse/p3/macdonough.html)—once the province of the _uber_-Libertarian fringe, now it seems to be applicable across the political spectrum: > [@](#): > > Whatsoever, for any cause, > Seeketh to take or give, > Power above or beyond the Laws, > Suffer it not to live! > Holy State or Holy King— > Or Holy People’s Will— > Have no truck with the senseless thing. > Order the guns and kill! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-atkins-by-rudyard-kipling/337696.md?page=1)