Gallio's Song
All day long to the judgment-seatThe crazed Provincials drew--All day long at their ruler's feetHowled for the blood of the Jew.Insurrection with one accordBanded itself and woke,And Paul was about to open his mouthWhen Achaia's Deputy spoke--
'Whether the God descend from aboveOr the Man ascend upon high,Whether this maker of tents be JoveOr a younger deity--I will be no judge between your godsAnd your godless bickerings.Lictor, drive them hence with rods--I care for none of these things!
'Were it a question of lawful dueOr Caesar's rule denied,Reason would I should bear with youAnd order it well to be tried;But this is a question of words and names.I know the strife it brings.I will not pass upon any your claims.I care for none of these things.
'One thing only I see most clear,As I pray you also see.Claudius Caesar hath set me hereRome's Deputy to be.It is Her peace that ye go to break--Not mine, nor any king's.But, touching your clamour of "Conscience sake,"I care for none of these things.
'Whether ye rise for the sake of a creed,Or riot in hope of spoil,Equally will I punish the deed,Equally check the broil;Nowise permitting injustice at allFrom whatever doctrine it springs--But--whether ye follow Priapus or Paul,I care for none of these things.'
Words in this poem
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- jove n.
- The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
- godless a.
- Having, or acknowledging, no God; without reverence for God; impious; wicked.
- strife n.
- The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
- clamour n.
- A great outcry or vociferation; loud and continued shouting or exclamation. [OF. clamour, clamur, F. clameur, fr. L. clamor, fr. clamare to cry out. See Claim.]
- conscience n.
- Knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness. [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p.pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
- nowise adv.
- Not in any manner or degree; in no way; noways. [For in no wise. See Wise, n.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Gallio's Song is in the public domain. This text is taken from Songs from Books, Project Gutenberg ebook #15529; 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, Gallio's Song, in Songs from Books (1912), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #15529, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/kipling-songs-from-books/gallio-s-song.html, id L20327.
Form and metre
Gallio's Song is 40 lines in 5 stanzas of 8 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCD, complete in 3 of its 5 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 ABAB-C-C seatA · drewB · feetA · jewB · accord · wokeC · mouth · spokeC
- 2 ----ABAB above · high · jove · deity · godsA · bickeringsB · rodsA · thingsB
- 3 ABABCDCD dueA · deniedB · youA · triedB · namesC · bringsD · claimsC · thingsD
- 4 ABABCDCD clearA · seeB · hereA · beB · breakC · king'sD · sakeC · thingsD
- 5 ABABCDCD creedA · spoilB · deedA · broilB · allC · springsD · paulC · thingsD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| All day long to the judgment-seat | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The crazed Provincials drew-- | 7 | ··˘˘/˘· |
| All day long at their ruler's feet | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Howled for the blood of the Jew. | 8 | ·˘······ |
| Insurrection with one accord | 8 | ·˘/˘··˘/ |
| Banded itself and woke, | 6 | /˘˘/·· |
| And Paul was about to open his mouth | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| When Achaia's Deputy spoke-- | 7 | ···/˘˘· |
| 'Whether the God descend from above | 9 | ····˘/··· |
| Or the Man ascend upon high, | 8 | ···˘/··· |
| Whether this maker of tents be Jove | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Or a younger deity-- | 7 | ··/˘/˘˘ |
| I will be no judge between your gods | 9 | ········· |
| And your godless bickerings. | 7 | ··/˘/˘˘ |
| Lictor, drive them hence with rods-- | 7 | /˘····· |
| I care for none of these things! | 7 | ······· |
| 'Were it a question of lawful due | 9 | ···/˘·/˘· |
| Or Caesar's rule denied, | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| Reason would I should bear with you | 8 | /˘······ |
| And order it well to be tried; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| But this is a question of words and names. | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| I know the strife it brings. | 6 | ······ |
| I will not pass upon any your claims. | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| I care for none of these things. | 7 | ······· |
| 'One thing only I see most clear, | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| As I pray you also see. | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Claudius Caesar hath set me here | 8 | /˘/˘···· |
| Rome's Deputy to be. | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| It is Her peace that ye go to break-- | 9 | ········· |
| Not mine, nor any king's. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| But, touching your clamour of "Conscience sake," | 10 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘· |
| I care for none of these things. | 7 | ······· |
| 'Whether ye rise for the sake of a creed, | 10 | ·········· |
| Or riot in hope of spoil, | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Equally will I punish the deed, | 8 | /˘··/˘·· |
| Equally check the broil; | 6 | /˘˘··· |
| Nowise permitting injustice at all | 10 | /˘˘/˘˘/˘·· |
| From whatever doctrine it springs-- | 8 | ··/˘/˘·· |
| But--whether ye follow Priapus or Paul, | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| I care for none of these things.' | 7 | ······· |
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