An American
“If the Led Striker call it a strike,Or the papers call it a war,They know not much what I am like,Nor what he is, my Avatar.”
Through many roads, by me possessed,He shambles forth in cosmic guise;He is the Jester and the Jest,And he the Text himself applies.
The Celt is in his heart and hand,The Gaul is in his brain and nerve;Where, cosmopolitanly planned,He guards the Redskin's dry reserve.
His easy unswept hearth he lendsFrom Labrador to Guadeloupe;Till, elbowed out by sloven friends,He camps, at sufferance, on the stoop.
Calm-eyed he scoffs at sword and crown,Or panic-blinded stabs and slays:Blatant he bids the world bow down,Or cringing begs a crust of praise;
Or, sombre-drunk, at mine and mart,He dubs his dreary brethren Kings.His hands are black with blood -- his heartLeaps, as a babe's, at little things.
But, through the shift of mood and mood,Mine ancient humour saves him whole --The cynic devil in his bloodThat bids him mock his hurrying soul;
That bids him flout the Law he makes,That bids him make the Law he flouts,Till, dazed by many doubts, he wakesThe drumming guns that -- have no doubts;
That checks him foolish -- hot and fond,That chuckles through his deepest ire,That gilds the slough of his despondBut dims the goal of his desire;
Inopportune, shrill-accented,The acrid Asiatic mirthThat leaves him, careless 'mid his dead,The scandal of the elder earth.
How shall he clear himself, how reachYour bar or weighed defence prefer?A brother hedged with alien speechAnd lacking all interpreter.
Which knowledge vexes him a space;But while Reproof around him rings,He turns a keen untroubled faceHome, to the instant need of things.
Enslaved, illogical, elate,He greets th' embarrassed Gods, nor fearsTo shake the iron hand of FateOr match with Destiny for beers.
Lo, imperturbable he rules,Unkempt, disreputable, vast --And, in the teeth of all the schools,I -- I shall save him at the last!
Words in this poem 21
- striker n.
- One who, or that which, strikes; specifically, a blacksmith's helper who wieds the sledge.
- avatar n.
- The descent of a deity to earth, and his incarnation as a man or an animal; -- chiefly associated with the incarnations of Vishnu. [Skr. avatâra descent; ava from + root t to cross, pass over.]
- cosmic a.
- Pertaining to the universe, and having special reference to universal law or order, or to the one grand harmonious system of things; hence; harmonious; orderly. [Gr. kosmiko`s of the world, fr. ko`smos: cf. F. cosmique. See Cosmos.]
- jest n.
- A deed; an action; a gest. [OE. jeste, geste, deed, action, story, tale, OF. geste, LL. gesta, orig., exploits, neut. pl. from L. gestus, p. p. of gerere to bear, carry, accomplish, perfor]
- sloven n.
- A man or boy habitually negligent of neathess and order; -- the correlative term to slattern, or slut. [D. slaf careless, negligent, a sloven; akin to LG. sluf slovenly.]
- sufferance n.
- The state of suffering; the bearing of pain; endurance. [OE. suffrance, OF. sufrance, soufrance, F. souffrance, L. sufferentia, from sufferens, -entis, p.pr. of sufferre. See Suffer.]
- blatant a.
- Bellowing, as a calf; bawling; brawling; clamoring; disagreeably clamorous; sounding loudly and harshly. [Cf. Bleat.]
- mart v. t.
- To buy or sell in, or as in, a mart.
- dreary a.
- Sorrowful; distressful. [OE. dreori, dreri, AS. dreórig, sad; akin to G. traurig, and prob. to AS. dreósan to fall, Goth. driusan. Cf. Dross, Drear, Drizzle, Drowse.]
- humour n.
- Moisture, especially, the moisture or fluid of animal bodies, as the chyle, lymph, etc.; as, the humors of the eye, etc. [OE. humour, OF. humor, umor, F. humeur, L. humor, umor, moisture, fluid, fr. humere, umere, to be moist. See Humid.]
- cynic a.
- Having the qualities of a surly dog; snarling; captious; currish. [L. cynicus of the sect of Cynics, fr. Gr. Hound.]
- drumming n.
- The act of beating upon, or as if upon, a drum; also, the noise which the male of the ruffed grouse makes in spring, by beating his wings upon his sides.
- despond v. i.
- To give up, the will, courage, or spirit; to be thoroughly disheartened; to lose all courage; to become dispirited or depressed; to take an unhopeful view. [L. despond, desponsum, to promise away, promise in marriage, give up, to lose (courage); de- + spond to promise solemnly. See Sponsor.]
- inopportune a.
- Not opportune; inconvenient; unseasonable; as, an inopportune occurrence, remark, etc. [L. inopportunus: cf. F. inopportun. See In- not, and Opportune.]
- scandal n.
- Offense caused or experienced; reproach or reprobation called forth by what is regarded as wrong, criminal, heinous, or flagrant: opprobrium or disgrace. [F. scandale, fr. L. scandalum, Gr. scandle, OF. escandle. See Slander.]
- 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,]
- defence n.
- The act of defending, or the state of being defended; protection, as from violence or danger. [F. défense, OF. defense, fem., defens, masc., fr. L. defensa (cf. Fence.]
- reproof n.
- Refutation; confutation; contradiction. [OE. reproef. See Proof, Reprove.]
- elate a.
- Lifted up; raised; elevated. [L. elatus elevated, fig., elated, proud (the figure, perh., being borrowed from a prancing horse); e out + latus (used as p. p. of ferre to bear), for tlatus, a]
- imperturbable a.
- Incapable of being disturbed or disconcerted; as, imperturbable gravity. [L. imperturbabilis; pref. im- not + perturbare to disturb: cf. F. imperturbable. See Perture.]
- unkempt a.
- Not combed; disheveled; as, an urchin with unkempt hair. [Pref. un- not + kempt, p. p. of kemb.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
An American is in the public domain. This text is taken from Verses 1889-1896, Project Gutenberg ebook #323; 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, An American, in Verses 1889–1896 (1889–1896), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #323, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/kipling-verses/an-american.html, id L16831.
Form and metre
An American is 56 lines in 14 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 10 of its 14 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.0 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 20% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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 A-A- strikeA · war · likeA · avatar
- 2 ABAB possessedA · guiseB · jestA · appliesB
- 3 ABAB handA · nerveB · plannedA · reserveB
- 4 ABAB lendsA · guadeloupeB · friendsA · stoopB
- 5 ABAB crownA · slaysB · downA · praiseB
- 6 ABAB martA · kingsB · heartA · thingsB
- 7 -A-A mood · wholeA · blood · soulA
- 8 ABAB makesA · floutsB · wakesA · doubtsB
- 9 A-A- fondA · ire · despondA · desire
- 10 ABAB accentedA · mirthB · deadA · earthB
- 11 A-A- reachA · prefer · speechA · interpreter
- 12 ABAB spaceA · ringsB · faceA · thingsB
- 13 ABAB elateA · fearsB · fateA · beersB
- 14 ABAB rulesA · vastB · schoolsA · lastB
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. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| “If the Led Striker call it a strike, | 8 | ···/···· |
| Or the papers call it a war, | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| They know not much what I am like, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor what he is, my Avatar.” | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Through many roads, by me possessed, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| He shambles forth in cosmic guise; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| He is the Jester and the Jest, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And he the Text himself applies. | 8 | ····˘/˘/ |
| The Celt is in his heart and hand, | 8 | ········ |
| The Gaul is in his brain and nerve; | 8 | ········ |
| Where, cosmopolitanly planned, | 8 | ········ |
| He guards the Redskin's dry reserve. | 8 | ···/··˘/ |
| His easy unswept hearth he lends | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| From Labrador to Guadeloupe; | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Till, elbowed out by sloven friends, | 8 | ·/···/˘· |
| He camps, at sufferance, on the stoop. | 9 | ···/˘˘··· |
| Calm-eyed he scoffs at sword and crown, | 8 | ········ |
| Or panic-blinded stabs and slays: | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Blatant he bids the world bow down, | 8 | /˘······ |
| Or cringing begs a crust of praise; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Or, sombre-drunk, at mine and mart, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| He dubs his dreary brethren Kings. | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| His hands are black with blood -- his heart | 8 | ········ |
| Leaps, as a babe's, at little things. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| But, through the shift of mood and mood, | 8 | ········ |
| Mine ancient humour saves him whole -- | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| The cynic devil in his blood | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| That bids him mock his hurrying soul; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| That bids him flout the Law he makes, | 8 | ········ |
| That bids him make the Law he flouts, | 8 | ········ |
| Till, dazed by many doubts, he wakes | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The drumming guns that -- have no doubts; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| That checks him foolish -- hot and fond, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| That chuckles through his deepest ire, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| That gilds the slough of his despond | 8 | ······˘/ |
| But dims the goal of his desire; | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| Inopportune, shrill-accented, | 8 | ˘·˘/·/˘˘ |
| The acrid Asiatic mirth | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| That leaves him, careless 'mid his dead, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The scandal of the elder earth. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| How shall he clear himself, how reach | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Your bar or weighed defence prefer? | 8 | ····˘/˘/ |
| A brother hedged with alien speech | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And lacking all interpreter. | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| Which knowledge vexes him a space; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| But while Reproof around him rings, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| He turns a keen untroubled face | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Home, to the instant need of things. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Enslaved, illogical, elate, | 8 | ˘/˘/˘˘˘/ |
| He greets th' embarrassed Gods, nor fears | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| To shake the iron hand of Fate | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Or match with Destiny for beers. | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Lo, imperturbable he rules, | 8 | ········ |
| Unkempt, disreputable, vast -- | 8 | ˘/˘/˘˘˘· |
| And, in the teeth of all the schools, | 8 | ········ |
| I -- I shall save him at the last! | 8 | ········ |
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.