5/13/2023 0 Comments Kipling ballads![]() ‘E rushes at the smoke when we let drive, An’, before we know, ‘e’s ‘ackin’ at our ‘ead ‘E’s all ‘ot sand an’ ginger when alive, An’ ‘e’s generally shammin’ when ‘e’s dead. As a modern reader I wanted to enjoy them and tried but just could not get past the language. In writing so Kipling tended to write in a language he saw as reflecting how the soldier spoke, typically a Londoner. ![]() Each week I’ll be publishing a Barrack Room Ballad in order of Kipling’s original publications. This is why I revised the language and want to share my enjoyment of Rudyard Kipling with you. But not because of the subject - I could tell it was interesting, but I could not power through the language and really appreciate it. ![]() My sisters once gave me a book of verse that this dedication is from - and I struggled to read it. ![]() “Dedication to T.A.”, Barrack-Room Ballads and Other Verses (1892), Rudyard Kipling ![]() I have made for you a song, And it may be right or wrong, But only you can tell me if it’s true I have tried for to explain Both your pleasure and your pain, And, Thomas, here’s my best respects to you! O there’ll surely come a day When they’ll give you all your pay, And treat you as a Christian ought to do So, until that day comes round, Heaven keep you safe and sound, And, Thomas, here’s my best respects to you! R. ![]()
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