Winning Words 1/20/11
“A brave heart and a courteous tongue…They shall carry thee far through the jungle, mailing.” (Rudyard Kipling) In arriving at a definition of “manling,” I settled on “the common folk,” like you and me. RK reminds us of the value of being brave and being courteous at the same time. My favorite poem of his is, “Recessional.” Do you remember it? “Lest we forget; lest we forget.” ;-) Jack

RECESSIONAL by Rudyard Kipling

God of our fathers, known of old— Lord of our far-flung battle line—
Beneath whose awful hand we hold Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!

The tumult and the shouting dies— The Captains and the Kings depart—
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!

Far-called our navies melt away— On dune and headland sinks the fire—
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!

If, drunk with sight of power, we loose Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe—
Such boastings as the Gentiles use, Or lesser breeds without the Law—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!

For heathen heart that puts her trust In reeking tube and iron shard—
All valiant dust that builds on dust, And guarding calls not Thee to guard.
For frantic boast and foolish word, Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord!
Amen.

FROM RI IN BOSTON: Recessional...wow! Hallowed words that strike deep in the heart. Those majestic verses somehow evaded me all these years. Thanks (as always) for revealing another gem. FROM JACK: Kipling wrote this in 1897 recognizing the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. "Lest we forget" seems to be a reminder that God is the ultimate ruler.

FROM MR IN MICHIGAN: Your Winning Words seem to hit right on the mark with me SO often. When you're working on "a brave heart" as hard as you can, sometimes "courtesy" is hard to remember' I must look up the poem & refresh my memory! FROM JACK: "Courtesy" is always good to practice when dealing others, even when some choose to be discourteous. The "Recessional" poem is on the blog. If you want to look up another good one, Google "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost.

FROM MOLINER CF: "Manling" is too esoteric for my computer dictionary. Also doesn't show up on Spellcheckl. Definition, please. FROM JACK: Read again my commentary on the quote. Also, JS in his response to day (posted on the blog) give his definition. "Little man" might be the literal meaning, but that can be confusing in my mind.

FROM JO IN MICHIGAN: I was in the checkout line at the grocery store yesterday and let someone go ahead of me. They acted as if I did some marvelous thing! People are incredible! FROM JACK: Groceries cost something, but it doesn't cost anything to be courteous....and look what you get in return.

FROM PRJS IN MICHIGAN: I would think that "manling" means "young male"....it is not a sin to be a male and to be different from the female of the species. FROM JACK: Do you translate the word or the thought?

FROM MO IN ILLINOIS: It's been a few years since Rudyard Kipling...The Tumult and the shouting dies, The captains and the Kings depart, Still stands thine ancient Sacrifice: An humble and a contrite heart! Lord of hosts, be with us yet, lest we forget, lest we forget...:-) His poem "Invictus" "If you can keep your head, while all about are losing theirs...You'll be a man, My son. Is often on graduation cards. (which I send!) It's an astute and self-confident person who can be passionate about a cause or point-of-view, and yet remain respectful and courteous to those who disagree! And an even braver one who can admit he/she had changed his/her mind after weighing the matter! This quote is a good one to keep in mind! FROM JACK: It seems as though you still have the faculty of memory. Isn't there a saying that those can't remember are doomed to make their past mistakes over again....or something like that?

FROM CJL IN OHIO: I remember. Also "If" FROM JACK: I had forgotten that "IF" was by Kipling, too.
IF you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: