The Anvil

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



England's on the anvil--hear the hammers ring--
      Clanging from the Severn to the Tyne!
Never was a blacksmith like our Norman King--
      England's being hammered, hammered, hammered into line!
   
England's on the anvil!  Heavy are the blows!
      (But the work will be a marvel when it's done.)
Little bits of Kingdoms cannot stand against their foes.
      England's being   hammered  hammered, hammered into one!

There shall be one people--it shall serve one Lord--
       (Neither Prist nor Baron shall escape!)
It shall have one  speech  and  law,  soul  and  strength  and  sword.
      England's  being  hammered,  hammered,  hammered  into
         shape!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 06, 2023

32 sec read
94

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEXF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 666
Words 101
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 5

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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