"If--" is a poem by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling, written in 1895 as a tribute to Leander Starr Jameson. It is a literary example of Victorian-era stoicism. The poem, first published in Rewards and Fairies (1910), is written in the form of paternal advice to the poet's son, John.
Video If--
Publication
"If--" first appeared in the "Brother Square Toes" chapter of the book Rewards and Fairies, a collection of Kipling's poetry and short-story fiction, published in 1910. In his posthumously published autobiography, Something of Myself (1937), Kipling said that, in writing the poem, he was inspired by the military actions of Leander Starr Jameson, leader of the failed Jameson Raid against the Transvaal Republic to overthrow the Boer Government of Paul Kruger. The failure of that mercenary coup d'état aggravated the political tensions between Great Britain and the Boers, which led to the Second Boer War (1899-1902).
Maps If--
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Reception
As an evocation of Victorian-era stoicism--the "stiff upper lip" self-discipline, which popular culture rendered into a British national virtue and character trait, "If--" remains a cultural touchstone. The British cultural-artifact status of the poem is evidenced by the parodies of the poem, and by its popularity among Britons.
T. S. Eliot included the poem in his 1941 collection A Choice of Kipling's Verse.
In India, a framed copy of the poem was affixed to the wall before the study desk in the cabins of the officer cadets at the National Defence Academy, at Pune and Indian Naval Academy, at Ezhimala.
In Britain, the third and fourth lines of the second stanza of the poem: "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / and treat those two impostors just the same" are written on the wall of the players' entrance to the Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, where the Wimbledon Championships are held. (These same lines appear at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York, where the US Open was played.) The first verse is set, in granite setts, into the pavement of the promenade in Westward Ho! in Devon.
The Indian writer Khushwant Singh considered the poem "the essence of the message of The Gita in English."
In popular culture
In 1914 the New Zealand School Journal published the poem after the outbreak of war. His publisher MacMillan wanted £50 forbreach of copyright after the Education Department offered to pay a "reasonable fee". The Solicitor-General said that the Crown was not bound by the Copyright Act of 1913, and could reprint the whole of Kipling's works if it chose.
There is a classical translation in French by André Maurois, who was an interpreter with the British Army during the First World War. It was published in "Les silences du colonel Bramble" (1921), chap. XIV (Collection Poche, pp. 93s.).
The lines that include "two impostors" are visible in the tennis club scene of the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock film Strangers on a Train.
"If--" is liberally quoted in the fine print of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap bottles, and a recording of Dr. Bronner reading the poem (and making other speeches) is available from the company.
The poem is quoted in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now by the photographer played by Dennis Hopper, who also read it on The Johnny Cash Show.
"If--" is quoted in an abbreviated form in White Squall (1996) by McCrea, the English teacher played by John Savage.
In The Simpsons, Grandpa Simpson quotes an abbreviated portion in Old Money as justification to betting all the winnings of a recent inheritance at roulette.
The fictional character Bridget Jones was powerfully struck by "If-": "Poem is good. Very good, almost like self-help book".
The poem is recited almost in full by actor Ricky Tomlinson in the title role of the 2001 film Mike Bassett: England Manager.
"If--" is quoted in an abbreviated form in Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004) both by Bobby Jones, and by Oscar Bane Keeler, the newspaper reporter.
The poem was adapted and performed as a song by Joni Mitchell on her 2007 album Shine.
"If--" is referred to in the song 'If (When You Go)' by Judie Tzuke from the album Moon on a Mirrorball.
Brand New refers to the poem in their song "Sowing Season", on their album The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me.
The first lines of the poem are used as a password in the 2015 film Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.
In 2016, the Boston Red Sox used the poem in a short video tribute to retiring player David Ortiz, narrated by Kevin Spacey.
See also
- "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley
- "The Man in the Arena" by Theodore Roosevelt
- "Desiderata" by Max Ehrmann
- "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" by Rudyard Kipling
- "Vitaï Lampada" by Henry Newbolt
References
External links
- Reading of "If--" on Wikimedia Commons
- If public domain audiobook at LibriVox
- Authentic digital editions archive of "If--"
- Staging of "If--" as a comic strip
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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