The Covenant

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



We thought we ranked above the chance of ill.
 Others might fall, not we, for we were wise--
Merchants in freedom. So, of our free-will
 We let our servants drug our strength with lies.
The pleasure and the poison had its way
  On us as on the meanest, till we learned
That he who lies will steal, who steals will slay.
 Neither God's judgment nor man's heart was turned.

Yet there remains His Mercy--to be sought
 Through wrath and peril till we cleanse the wrong
By that last right which our forefathers claimed
 When their Law failed them and its stewards were bought.
This is our cause. God help us, and make strong
 Our will to meet Him later, unashamed!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 14, 2023

37 sec read
256

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCD XEFXEF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 654
Words 122
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6

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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    Who wrote the poem "Ozymandias"?
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    D Rudyard Kipling