"If...." by Rudyard Kipling

[facelikedog]

This poem reminds me of Ron Paul.

[flabbanoonga]

This is why I joined the military.

[Icequeen1962]

and which is more you will be a WOMAN my daughter.

[PoetryNext]

@Icequeen1962 hahah lol

[sherlockholmes88]

@daddio7777777 Hear Hear!

[TheJayEffkay]

thanks rudyard - for these Eternally Wise and great words

im just in awe of this piece

[cypher5455]

@spokenverse

It is easier to dismiss this poem as impractical and live in arrogance and selfishness than it is to strive toward it's message however inevitably impossible it may be. Reaching for what is noble makes everyone better wether successful or not. This poem attempts to answer "what would God do?" whomever your God may be.

[MrSunnyatSksRks]

undoubtedly a brilliant poem. i always get strength when i read this poem....

[kurupt23987]

The poem sets an intentionally impossible standard, that's the point of it. It's not wise and truthful nor self deceiving and unrealistically optimistic.

It summises the struggle that is being a good person, being a person worthy of respect. You're expected to fail, anyone that succeeds is actually a fool; the important thing is that you try and you keep trying. How well you do is almost irrelevant, as long as you try.

[mick79111]

@kurupt23987 For me its about winning the internal battles, Most people struggle with something, I like to think that it means if you can win one thing, that is a triumph for yourself. You have proved yourself to a small degree to you. Achievment is what society places upon everyone.

[IBAMANC]

england will be playing 4-4 fucking 2

[daddio7777777]

I love this poem. It should be given as a present to every boy when he reaches maturity. It is a tall order but one should always aim high.

[BlueSkyeCloudyDay]

@daddio7777777 and girl.

[013692631]

this poem really can help people in life

[ydraki]

Good poetry is pure wisdom and I think I should make it a prayer for a while in hope of effecting some change in me.

[ilike2shootthings]

I have to memorize this for english by tomorrow or I fail.

[oasis4life1]

pure genius make me think of how to deal with my football ego ..thanks

[twocky90]

rudyard was the first gangster rapper lmao.. but on a serious note it was men like this that gave us the great nas 2pac biggie big l rakim etc....

[chridhfbfbf]

Very well read good speed and your voice seems to fit the poem perfectly :)

My favourite poem

[LucifagoMa]

Es increible, todo lo que dice este poema esta cargado de una insuperable sabiduria, te deja perplejo frente a tanto saber y tan bella forma, al punto que no tienes más que obedecer a ese llamado a la humanidad. Solo enfrentando lo que propone puede acercarse el hombre a adquirir la dignidad de humano, puesto que solo luego de tales enfrentamientos, "combates bravíos", cada minúto, se podrá escuchar la voz del padre diciendo: "You´ll be a man my son"

[SpokenVerse]

@LucifagoMa I have no Spanish, only a BabelFish translation. Kipling lived to be a sadder and even wiser man. He pulled strings to get his son into the war, even though he was too young, and his son was killed in action. He had these views at one time. Later in life he changed his mind. People adopt "If" saying "Yes, that's exactly what I think" as if it were wisdom. It isn't. It's self-deception.

[sleedolfine15]

@SpokenVerse Kipling's personal tragedy does not take away from the poem's power,wisdom and truth. This was also Ayn Rand's favorite poem. It was displayed next to her coffin on her instructions. This is a great poem to inspire one to be one's best in the face of the world's adversities and temptations.

[SpokenVerse]

@sleedolfine15 I don't think it contains either wisdom or truth. Wisdom and truth don't need a hard sell, they're all to apparent.

[sleedolfine15]

@SpokenVerse It uplifts,inspires and help one to keep on keeping on when it is hard to do so. What else does a poem of inspiration need?

[SpokenVerse]

@sleedolfine15 Unrealistic optimism and self-deception. Certainly not wisdom nor truth.

[sleedolfine15]

@SpokenVerse Actually the poem sensibily advocates a moderate--an aristotelian response, to the world---to seek the " golden mean ". In this view,the gentleperson shows a steadiness when confronted with all of the highs and lows which,of necessity,inhabitates a human life. I know,from my personal experience,that the values of the poem are anything,but fantasy inasmuch as they were among the virtues found in the character of my late father--virtues which I seek with,limited success,to emulate.

[SpokenVerse]

@sleedolfine15 I agree that "inhabitates" ought to be a word. Listen to Roger Whittaker, singing "I don't believe in 'If' any more" It's on YouTube.

[sleedolfine15]

@SpokenVerse Anyway,I'm impressed with your channel. It says something positive about your degree of openness that you include a poem that you do not personally like.

[belzondium]

@SpokenVerse I agree with your assessment. It is a tremendous poem, but sublime and false all at once.

[Cerebralator]

@belzondium Me too. Truly inspiring.

[danielthomasslade]

the soldiers poet.

[SuperFritzjr]

My grandfather was a GREAT GREAT man. Accomplished many things that we can only dream about. A true Genius. All of his Kids were genius' in one way or another. Scientist, Prima Ballerina & clair voyant, Pilot, Rolando and My Mom (Rosa-Maria Zapata Casares # 1 MOM). He left me this to live by & I do.... every line, & i am alllll the better for it. share it with your children. Make your sons and daughters into Men and Independant Women. INDIVIDUALS

[BajanRoots]

i dig this!

[bummercucumber]

This is brilliant.

[darius11896]

this is a powerful poem i got to learn it for school! but its good.!

[Spraycando]

You learn it son and take it to heart. Word for word. But make sure you understand it. It will make you a better person.

[dearmalika]

Love this poem!

[SeanKyleAdlao]

Hmm is this your voice?

[NobelPrizer]

How can you have such a dark and sexy voice?

[anmpir]

What a wonderful channel. I am so grateful for your videos - I hope you don't mind me downloading them to store on my ipod to show my friends.

[SpokenVerse]

I don't mind at all. Thank you for kind words.

[theNeverangel]

This is the best reading of this poem I've found on youtube! Sounds really inspiring.

[MoretimerMcMire]

Spokenverse is it you that read?

[SpokenVerse]

Yes, I read everything in my channel.

[MoretimerMcMire]

"with a pinch of salt."

I think it is a pretty smart poem and should be taken literally.....almost.

:)

[SpokenVerse]

I can't argue because most people agree with you. It is the most popular poem in the language.

However Kipling seems to have changed his mind. Later he wrote this codicil after the son he was addressing was killed in WW1.

"If they ask you why we died , tell them that our fathers lied."

[dundalkmd]

"filling unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run" What does that mean ? Please explain.

[brontus7]

Making the most of dire circumstances

[larlie]

Time waits for no man and so do the best you can with it whilst you have it.

[dundalkmd]

Can it mean " Time is time, not long time or short time". We can make one minute last a long time. Or a short time.

Thank you.

[larlie]

Hmm, I tend to view the word "unforgiving" as suggesting that time will continue on regardless and so it is important to use it to the optimum potential, because time, once lost, cannot be regained.

[dundalkmd]

But why does he uses number sixty, instead of one ? Suggesting" relativity "of time. Just some idle speculation, no harm meant.

[larlie]

Because there are sixty seconds in a minute...?

[dundalkmd]

Or because on numerical scale sixty sounds much better than one even though unit of time is changed. So one minute can be a short time. Or a long sixty seconds good for running 100 yards.

[bartasevicius]

I'm not an English native speaker, but I think that 'unforgiving minute' is the fatal minute, or the last moment of someone else's life. So it means that even if you know that you are about to die, as an honoured person, you would do the best on your tasks. This is the meaning of sixty seconds worth - while you're alive, even knowing that you're about to die, you put your heart in everything, despite knowing that you'll not enjoy the return of your work, making worth every little second.

[dundalkmd]

But why use one minute and sixty seconds, and suggest running ?

[bartasevicius]

This is a poem. He used a metaphor. He could have used any other comparison, but the poet had preferred to use time and distance.

He did not suggest to run. He has written the distance to run in the last minute must worth for a 60 sec of running, which means that one would not stop running even though for 1 sec.

[ultrakool]

Did you know the middle word in life is if?

-Dennis Hopper, Apocalypse Now

lol

[LittleMissArchivist]

Hi There, can you tell me who is reading the poem? Thanks!

[SpokenVerse]

It's my voice - I read all the poems in this channel. See my profile page for more details.

[ramenuet]

This one was shoved down my throat throughout my childhood. I heard it was Margaret Thatcher's favorite poem. I wondered if that meant she thought herself a man.

[SpokenVerse]

"If" tops the polls of favourite poems.

If I know a poem means something to people and I'm able to read it, then I include it and forbear burdening people with my personal opinion but, having said that, you can guess what it is.

I'm not convinced by the Hemingway-like "Fake-Chest-Hair" posing as manliness: rip it off and you'll find a scared kid beneath.

However in general I admire Kipling's works, he lived in different times with different standards of political correctness.