Thursday, February 16, 2017

Oh Beautiful...

Take up the White Man’s burden—
Send forth the best ye breed—
Go send your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need
To wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild—
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child

Take up the White Man’s burden
In patience to abide
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple
An hundred times made plain
To seek another’s profit
And work another’s gain

Take up the White Man’s burden—
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better
The hate of those ye guard—
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah slowly) to the light:
"Why brought ye us from bondage,
“Our loved Egyptian night?”

Take up the White Man’s burden-
Have done with childish days-
The lightly proffered laurel,
The easy, ungrudged praise.
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold-edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers!
-Rudyard Kipling, “The White Man’s Burden: The United States and The Philippine Islands.”

8 comments:

  1. Well, well... after 4 months of suffering with "mesenteric ischaemia" and several arterial stents later, I'm now back in the land of the living and fit to fight another day! Pain free to boot and ready to enjoy that Chimay, finally.

    Thank G-d for modern medicine...

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  2. Intestinal problems are never fun. Good to hear to feeling better and can finally enjoy some primo Chimay! Modern medicine is da bomb! :)

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  3. I remember you had something worse in that department.

    On the plus side, this health scare has made me go cold turkey on the old fags, so swings and roundabouts, I guess!

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  4. It's a shame that old habits have to change. I miss the alcohol the most... :(

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  5. Yeah but 'fags = bad', 'booze = OK', so you drew the short straw there, I'm afraid.

    Now I'm gonna go around harassing smokers ('hunt them down and smoke'm out'? ;^) )

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  6. There's nothing worse than a "reformed" smoker...

    *shakes head* ;)

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  7. There's nothing wrong with spreading a little life! ;-)

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  8. I'm glad you have passed through this crisis, and feel well again, Gert.

    Long may your recovery last.

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