My Father's Chair

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



Parliaments of Henry III., 1265

There are four good legs to my Father's Chair--
Priests and People and Lords and Crown.
I sits on all of 'em fair and square,
And that is reason it don't break down.

I won't trust one leg, nor two, nor three,
To carry my weight when I sets me down.
I wants all four of 'em under me--
Priests and People and Lords and Crown.

I sits on all four and favours none--
Priests, nor People, nor Lords, nor Crown:
And I never tilts in my chair, my son,
And that is the reason it don't break down.

When your time comes to sit in my Chair,
Remember your Father's habits and rules,
Sit on all four legs, fair and square,
And never be tempted by one-legged stools!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

42 sec read
131

Quick analysis:

Scheme x aBab cbcB dbdb aeae
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 675
Words 136
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4

Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist chiefly remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India and his tales for children. more…

All Rudyard Kipling poems | Rudyard Kipling Books

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