Narrated by Daniel "Avi" Avinash
This poem is a sober call to arms at the outset of WW1 (1914-18). Kipling had been warning for a decade of the need to prepare, to resist the growing menace of Germany, and he was in no doubt that this would be a life and death struggle for England.
The Indian Ministry of Defence quoted the words "What stands if Freedom fall? Who dies if England live?" in a 2022 tweet in honour of the Indian army.
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For All We Have And Are
1914
For all we have and are,
For all our children's fate,
Stand up and take the war.
The Hun is at the gate!
Our world has passed away,
In wantonness o'erthrown.
There is nothing left to-day
But steel and fire and stone!
Though all we knew depart,
The old Commandments stand:—
"In courage keep your heart,
In strength lift up your hand."
Once more we hear the word
That sickened earth of old:—
"No law except the Sword
Unsheathed and uncontrolled."
Once more it knits mankind,
Once more the nations go
To meet and break and bind
A crazed and driven foe.
Comfort, content, delight,
The ages' slow-bought gain,
They shrivelled in a night.
Only ourselves remain
To face the naked days
In silent fortitude,
Through perils and dismays
Renewed and re-renewed.
Though all we made depart,
The old Commandments stand:—
"In patience keep your heart,
In strength lift up your hand."
No easy hope or lies
Shall bring us to our goal,
But iron sacrifice
Of body, will, and soul.
There is but one task for all—
One life for each to give.
What stands if Freedom fall?
Who dies if England live?
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Music: "Monomyth - The Distant Sun" by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au
Used With Permission.
Picture: Gettysburg Battlefield. Used with permission - Canva.
Recorded and produced in Melbourne, Australia by Daniel "Avi" Avinash
#poetry #rudyardkipling #war #wisdom
