He shambled out of the office and departed in the direction of the Deputy Commissioner's house. That day at noon I had occasion to go down the blinding hot Mall, and I saw a crooked man crawling along the white dust of the roadside, his hat in his hand, quavering dolorously after the fashion of street- singers at Home. There was not a soul in sight, and he was out of all possible earshot of the houses. And he sang through his nose, turning his head from right to left:
'The Son of Man goes forth to war, A golden crown to gain; His blood-red banner streams afar? Who follows in his train?'5
I waited to hear no more, but put the poor wretch into my carriage and drove him off to the nearest missionary for eventual transfer to the Asylum.
4. Allusion to Hamlet's description of his father's 1826), corrected in later editions to the actual ghost: 'My father, in his habit as he lived' (Shake-words of the first line: 'The Son of God goes forth speare, Hatnlet 3.4.126). to war.' 5. A well-known hymn, by Reginald Heber (1783?
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181 8 / RUDYARD KIPLING
He repeated the hymn twice while he was with me, whom he did not in the least recognize, and I left him singing it to the missionary. Two days later I inquired after his welfare of the Superintendent of the Asylum.
'He was admitted suffering from sunstroke. He died early yesterday morning,' said the Superintendent. 'Is it true that he was half an hour bareheaded in the sun at midday?'
'Yes,' said I, 'but do you happen to know if he had anything upon him by
any chance when he died?' 'Not to my knowledge,' said the Superintendent. And there the matter rests.
1888
Danny Deever
'What are the bugles blowin' for?' said Files-on-Parade.1 'To turn you out, to turn you out,' the Colour- Sergeant2 said. 'What makes you look so white, so white?' said Files-on-Parade. 'I'm dreadin' what I've got to watch,' the Colour-Sergeant said.
For they're hangin' Danny Deever, you can hear the Dead March play, The regiment's in 'ollow square3?they're hangin' him today; They've taken of his buttons off an' cut his stripes4 away, An they're hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'.
'What makes the rear rank breathe so 'ard?' said Files-on-Parade. 'It's bitter cold, it's bitter cold,' the Colour-Sergeant said. 'What makes that front-rank man fall down?' said Files-on-Parade. 'A touch o' sun, a touch o' sun,' the Colour-Sergeant said.
They are hangin' Danny Deever, they are marchin' of 'im round, They 'ave 'alted Danny Deever by 'is coffin on the ground; An' 'e'll swing in 'arf a minute for a sneakin' shootin' hound? O they're hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'!
' 'Is cot was right-'and cot to mine,' said Files-on-Parade. ' 'E's sleepin' out an' far tonight,' the Colour- Sergeant said. 'I've drunk 'is beer a score o' times,' said Files-on-Parade. ' 'E's drinkin bitter beer5 alone,' the Colour-Sergeant said.
They are hangin' Danny Deever, you must mark 'im to 'is place, For 'e shot a comrade sleepin'?you must look 'im in the face; Nine 'undred of 'is county6 an' the Regiment's disgrace, While they're hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'.
'What's that so black agin the sun?' said Files-on-Parade. 'It's Danny fightin' 'ard for life,' the Colour-Sergeant said.
1. Army private. 'Files' here should be spoken as 5. Or simply 'bitter,' a favorite variety of beer two syllables (fy-ulls). drunk in English pubs. The word bitter thus 2. High-ranking noncommissioned officer. becomes a grim pun. 3. Ceremonial formation: the troops line four 6. English regiments often bear the name of a par- sides of a parade square, facing inward. ticular county from which most of its members 4. Chevrons denoting rank, worn by corporals and have been recruited (e.g., the Lancashire Fusilsergeants on the sleeves of their tunics. iers).
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THE WIDOW AT WINDSOR / 1819
'What's that that whimpers over'ead?' said Files-on-Parade. 'It's Danny's soul that's passin' now,' the Colour-Sergeant said. For they're done with Danny Deever, you can 'ear the quickstep play,
30 The regiment's in column, an' they're marchin' us away; Ho! the young recruits are shakin', an' they'll want their beer today, After hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'.
1890
The Widow at Windsor
'Ave you 'eard o' the Widow at Windsor With a hairy1 gold crown on 'er 'ead? She 'as ships on the foam?she 'as millions at 'ome, An' she pays us poor beggars in red.2 5 (Ow, poor beggars in red!) There's 'er nick3 on the cavalry 'orses, There's 'er mark4 on the medical stores? An' 'er troopers0 you'll find with a fair wind be'ind troopships That takes us to various wars, io (Poor beggars!?barbarious wars!) Then 'ere's to the Widow at Windsor, An' 'ere's to the stores an' the guns, The men an' the 'orses what makes up the forces O' Missis Victorier's sons. 15 (Poor beggars! Victorier's sons!)
Walk wide o' the Widow at Windsor, For 'alf o' Creation she owns: We 'ave bought 'er the same with the sword an' the flame, An' we've salted it down with our bones. 20 (Poor beggars!?it's blue with our bones!) Hands off o' the sons o' the widow, Hands off o' the goods in 'er shop, For the kings must come down an' the emperors frown When the Widow at Windsor says 'Stop!' 25 (Poor beggars!?we're sent to say 'Stop!') Then 'ere's to the Lodge o' the Widow, From the Pole to the Tropics it runs? To the Lodge that we tile with the rank an' the file, An' open in form with the guns.5 30 (Poor beggars!?it's always they guns!)
1. Airy, lofty. London Cockney speech tradition-5. Here, as in 'The Man Who Would Be King,' ally drops the hs from words that start with this Kipling employs terms and concepts from Free- letter, and sometimes adds an li to the beginning masonry (see n. 2, p. 1794). Victoria's 'Lodge' (her of words that start with a vowel. Masonic branch, or district) traverses the globe 2. British military uniforms were bright red. ('From the Pole to the Tropics'); the
