Analysis of A Pilgrim's Way
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
I do not look for holy saints to guide me on my way,
Or male and female devilkins to lead my feet astray.
If these are added, I rejoice---if not, I shall not mind,
So long as I have leave and choice to meet my fellow-kind.
For as we come and as we go (and deadly-soon go we!)
The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!
Thus I will honour pious men whose virtue shines so bright
(Though none are more amazed than I when I by chance do right),
And I will pity foolish men for woe their sins have bred
(Though ninety-nine per cent. of mine I brought on my own head).
And, Amorite or Eremite, or General Averagee,
The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!
And when they bore me overmuch, I will not shake mine ears,
Recalling many thousand such whom I have bored to tears.
And when they labour to impress, I will not doubt nor scoff;
Since I myself have done no less and---sometimes pulled it off.
Yea, as we are and we are not, and we pretend to be,
The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!
And when they work me random wrong, as oftentimes hath been,
I will not cherish hate too long (my hands are none too clean).
And when they do me random good I will not feign surprise.
No more than those whom I have cheered with wayside charities.
But, as we give and as we take---whate'er our takings be---
The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!
But when I meet with frantic folk who sinfully declare
There is no pardon for their sin, the same I will not spare
Till I have proved that Heaven and Hell which in our hearts we have
Show nothing irredeemable on either side of the grave.
For as we live and as we die---if utter Death there be---
The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!
Deliver me from every pride---the Middle, High, and Low---
That bars me from a brother's side, whatever pride he show.
And purge me from all heresies of thought and speech and pen
That bid me judge him otherwise than I am judged. Amen!
That I may sing of Crowd or King or road-borne company,
That I may labour in my day, vocation and degree,
To prove the same in deed and name, and hold unshakenly
(Where'er I go, whate'er I know, whoe'er my neighbor be)
This single faith in Life and Death and to Eternity:
``The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!''
Scheme | aabbcC ddeexC xxffcC xxxxcC ggxxcC hhiicchccC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111101111111 11011111101 11110101111111 11111101111101 11110111010111 0101110110111 1111101110111 11110111111111 01110101111111 11011111111111 011111001 0101110110111 011111111111 01010101111111 0111101111111 1111111001111 11110111010111 0101110110111 0111110111011 11110111111111 01111101111101 1111111111100 111101111010101 0101110110111 111111011101 11110111011111 1111110011010111 11011101101 11110111110111 0101110110111 010111001010101 1111010110111 011111110101 1111110111101 11111111111100 1111011010001 11010101011 1011101111101 11010101010100 0101110110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic heptameter |
Characters | 2,274 |
Words | 446 |
Sentences | 21 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 10 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 44 |
Words per line (avg) | 11 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 291 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 74 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 31, 2023
- 2:15 min read
- 141 Views
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"A Pilgrim's Way" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33126/a-pilgrim%27s-way>.
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