The Lesson
Let us admit it fairly, as a business people should,We have had no end of a lesson: it will do us no end of good.
Not on a single issue, or in one direction or twain,But conclusively, comprehensively, and several times and again,Were all our most holy illusions knocked higher than Gilderoy’s kite.We have had a jolly good lesson, and it serves us jolly well right!
This was not bestowèd us under the trees, nor yet in the shade of atent,But swingingly, over eleven degrees of a bare brown continent.From Lamberts to Delagoa Bay, and from Pietersburg to Sutherland,Fell the phenomenal lesson we learned--with a fulness accorded noother land.
It was our fault, and our very great fault, and not the judgment ofHeaven.We made an Army in our own image, on an island nine by seven,Which faithfully mirrored its makers’ ideals, equipment, and mentalattitude--And so we got our lesson: and we ought to accept it with gratitude.
We have spent two hundred million pounds to prove the fact once more,That horses are quicker than men afoot, since two and two make four:And horses have four legs, and men have two legs, and two into fourgoes twice,And nothing over except our lesson--and very cheap at the price.
For remember (this our children shall know: we are too near for thatknowledge)Not our mere astonied camps, but Council and Creed and College--All the obese, unchallenged old things that stifle and overlie us--Have felt the effects of the lesson we got--an advantage no moneycould buy us!
Then let us develop this marvellous asset which we alone command,And which, it may subsequently transpire, will be worth as much asthe Rand:Let us approach this pivotal fact in a humble yet hopeful mood--We have had no end of a lesson: it will do us no end of good!
It was our fault, and our very great fault--and now we must turn itto use;We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse!So the more we work and the less we talk the better results we shallget--We have had an Imperial lesson; it may make us an Empire yet!
Words in this poem 16
- fairly adv.
- In a fairmanner; clearly; openly; plainly; fully; distinctly; frankly.
- twain a.
- Two;- nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque. [OE. twein, tweien, tweyne, AS. twegen, masc. See Two.]
- conclusively adv.
- In the way of conclusion; decisively; positively. Burke.
- comprehensively adv.
- In a comprehensive manner; with great extent of scope.
- continent a.
- Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing. [L. continens, -entis, prop., p. pr. of continere to hold together, to repress: cf. F. continent. See Contain.]
- phenomenal a.
- Relating to, or of the nature of, a phenomenon; hence, extraordinary; wonderful; as, a phenomenal memory. [Cf. F. phénoménal.]
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- astonied p. p.
- Stunned; astonished. See Astony.
- obese a.
- Excessively corpulent; fat; fleshy. [L. obesus eaten away, lean; also, that has eaten itself fat, fat, stout, p.p. of obedere to devour; ob (see Ob-) + edere to eat. See Eat.]
- overlie v. t.
- To lie over or upon; specifically, to suffocate by lying upon; as, to overlie an infant. Quain.
- asset n.
- Any article or separable part of one's assets.
- transpire v. i.
- To pass off in the form of vapor or insensible perspiration; to exhale. [F. transpirer; L. trans across, through + spirare to breathe. See Spirit.]
- rand n.
- A border; edge; margin. [AS. rand, rond; akin to D., Dan., Sw., & G. rand, Icel. rönd, and probably to E. rind.]
- pivotal a.
- Of or pertaining to a pivot or turning point; belonging to, or constituting, a pivot; of the nature of a pivot; as, the pivotalopportunity of a career; the pivotal position in a battle.
- hopeful a.
- Full of hope, or agreeable expectation; inclined to hope; expectant.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Lesson is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Five Nations, Volume II, Project Gutenberg ebook #60261; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Rudyard Kipling, The Lesson, in The Five Nations, Volume II (1903), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #60261, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/kipling-five-nations-2/the-lesson.html, id L20251.
Form and metre
The Lesson is 40 lines in 8 stanzas.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AA shouldA · goodA
- 2 AABB twainA · againA · kiteB · rightB
- 3 -AAB-B a · tentA · continentA · sutherlandB · no · landB
- 4 -AA-BB of · heavenA · sevenA · mental · attitudeB · gratitudeB
- 5 AAABB moreA · fourA · fourA · twiceB · priceB
- 6 -AAB-B that · knowledgeA · collegeA · usB · money · usB
- 7 A-A-- commandA · as · randA · mood · good
- 8 ABB-AA itA · useB · excuseB · shall · getA · yetA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Let us admit it fairly, as a business people should, | 14 | ··˘/·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| We have had no end of a lesson: it will do us no end of good. | 17 | ·······/˘········ |
| Not on a single issue, or in one direction or twain, | 15 | ···/˘/˘···˘/˘·· |
| But conclusively, comprehensively, and several times and again, | 15 | ·˘/˘·˘/˘·/˘··˘/ |
| Were all our most holy illusions knocked higher than Gilderoy’s kite. | 16 | ··/·/˘˘/˘·/····· |
| We have had a jolly good lesson, and it serves us jolly well right! | 17 | ····/˘·/˘····/˘·· |
| This was not bestowèd us under the trees, nor yet in the shade of a | 17 | ················· |
| tent, | 1 | · |
| But swingingly, over eleven degrees of a bare brown continent. | 15 | ·····˘/˘/····/˘ |
| From Lamberts to Delagoa Bay, and from Pietersburg to Sutherland, | 16 | ·/˘···········/˘ |
| Fell the phenomenal lesson we learned--with a fulness accorded no | 17 | ··˘/˘/˘····/˘˘/˘· |
| other land. | 3 | /˘· |
| It was our fault, and our very great fault, and not the judgment of | 16 | ··/··//˘·····/˘· |
| Heaven. | 2 | /˘ |
| We made an Army in our own image, on an island nine by seven, | 17 | ···/˘·/·/˘··/˘··/ |
| Which faithfully mirrored its makers’ ideals, equipment, and mental | 16 | ·/˘/˘·/˘˘/˘/˘·/˘ |
| attitude-- | 3 | /˘· |
| And so we got our lesson: and we ought to accept it with gratitude. | 18 | ····//˘····˘/··/˘· |
| We have spent two hundred million pounds to prove the fact once more, | 15 | ····/˘/˘······· |
| That horses are quicker than men afoot, since two and two make four: | 16 | ·/˘·/˘··˘/······ |
| And horses have four legs, and men have two legs, and two into four | 16 | ·/˘············· |
| goes twice, | 2 | ·· |
| And nothing over except our lesson--and very cheap at the price. | 16 | ·/˘···//˘·/˘···· |
| For remember (this our children shall know: we are too near for that | 16 | ·˘/˘·//˘········ |
| knowledge) | 2 | /˘ |
| Not our mere astonied camps, but Council and Creed and College-- | 15 | ·/·˘/˘··/˘···/˘ |
| All the obese, unchallenged old things that stifle and overlie us-- | 17 | ··˘/˘/˘···/˘····· |
| Have felt the effects of the lesson we got--an advantage no money | 18 | ···/˘··/˘···˘/˘·/˘ |
| could buy us! | 3 | ··· |
| Then let us develop this marvellous asset which we alone command, | 18 | ···˘/˘····/···˘/˘/ |
| And which, it may subsequently transpire, will be worth as much as | 14 | ····/˘˘/······ |
| the Rand: | 2 | ·· |
| Let us approach this pivotal fact in a humble yet hopeful mood-- | 16 | ··˘/·/˘···/˘·/˘· |
| We have had no end of a lesson: it will do us no end of good! | 17 | ·······/˘········ |
| It was our fault, and our very great fault--and now we must turn it | 16 | ··/··//˘········ |
| to use; | 2 | ·· |
| We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse! | 18 | ··/˘/˘/˘·/˘···/˘˘/ |
| So the more we work and the less we talk the better results we shall | 17 | ···········/˘˘/·· |
| get-- | 1 | · |
| We have had an Imperial lesson; it may make us an Empire yet! | 17 | ····˘/˘/˘·····/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.