“Fuzzy-Wuzzy”
We've fought with many men acrost the seas,An' some of 'em was brave an' some was not:The Paythan an' the Zulu an' Burmese;But the Fuzzy was the finest o' the lot.We never got a ha'porth's change of 'im:'E squatted in the scrub an' 'ocked our 'orses,'E cut our sentries up at Suakim,An' 'e played the cat an' banjo with our forces.So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan;You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man;We gives you your certificate, an' if you want it signedWe'll come an' 'ave a romp with you whenever you're inclined.
We took our chanst among the Khyber 'ills,The Boers knocked us silly at a mile,The Burman give us Irriwaddy chills,An' a Zulu impi dished us up in style:But all we ever got from such as theyWas pop to what the Fuzzy made us swaller;We 'eld our bloomin' own, the papers say,But man for man the Fuzzy knocked us 'oller.Then 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' the missis and the kid;Our orders was to break you, an' of course we went an' did.We sloshed you with Martinis, an' it wasn't 'ardly fair;But for all the odds agin' you, Fuzzy-Wuz, you broke the square.
'E 'asn't got no papers of 'is own,'E 'asn't got no medals nor rewards,So we must certify the skill 'e's shownIn usin' of 'is long two-'anded swords:When 'e's 'oppin' in an' out among the bushWith 'is coffin-'eaded shield an' shovel-spear,An 'appy day with Fuzzy on the rushWill last an 'ealthy Tommy for a year.So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' your friends which are no more,If we 'adn't lost some messmates we would 'elp you to deplore;But give an' take's the gospel, an' we'll call the bargain fair,For if you 'ave lost more than us, you crumpled up the square!
'E rushes at the smoke when we let drive,An', before we know, 'e's 'ackin' at our 'ead;'E's all 'ot sand an' ginger when alive,An' 'e's generally shammin' when 'e's dead.'E's a daisy, 'e's a ducky, 'e's a lamb!'E's a injia-rubber idiot on the spree,'E's the on'y thing that doesn't give a damnFor a Regiment o' British Infantree!So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan;You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man;An' 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, with your 'ayrick 'ead of 'air --You big black boundin' beggar -- for you broke a British square!
Words in this poem 15
- zulu n.
- Any member of the tribe of Zulus; a Zulu-Kaffir. See Zulus.
- burmese a.
- Of or pertaining to Burmah, or its inhabitants.
- fuzzy a.
- Not firmly woven; that ravels. [See Fuzz, n.]
- banjo n.
- A stringed musical instrument having a head and neck like the guitar, and its body like a tambourine. It has five strings, and is played with the fingers and hands.
- burman n.
- A member of the Burman family, one of the four great families Burmah; also, sometimes, any inhabitant of Burmah; a Burmese. ["The softened modern M'yan-ma, M'yan-ma [native name]
- impi n.
- A body of Kaffir warriors; a body of native armed men. [South Africa]
- missis n.
- A mistress; a wife; -- so used by the illiterate. G. Eliot.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- odds n.
- Difference in favor of one and against another; excess of one of two things or numbers over the other; inequality; advantage; superiority; hence, excess of chances; probability. [See Odd, a.]
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- certify v. t.
- To give cetain information to; to assure; to make certain. [F. certifier, LL. certificare; L. certus certain + facere to make. See Certain, and cf. Certificate, v. t.]
- tommy n.
- Bread, -- generally a penny roll; the supply of food carried by workmen as their daily allowance.
- deplore v. t.
- To feel or to express deep and poignant grief for; to bewail; to lament; to mourn; to sorrow over. [L. deplorare; de- + plorare to cry out, wail, lament; prob. akin to pluere to rain, and to E. flow: cf. F. déplorer. Cf. Flow.]
- idiot n.
- A man in private station, as distinguished from one holding a public office. [F. idiot, L. idiota an uneducated, ignorant, ill- informed person, Gr. Idiom.]
- damn v. t.
- To condemn; to declare guilty; to doom; to adjudge to punishment; to sentence; to censhure. [OE. damnen dap), OF. damner, dampner, F. damner, fr. L. damnare, damnatum, to condemn, fr. damnum damage, a fine, penalty. Cf. Condemn, Damage.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
“Fuzzy-Wuzzy” 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, “Fuzzy-Wuzzy”, in Verses 1889–1896 (1889–1896), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #323, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/kipling-verses/fuzzy-wuzzy.html, id L16742.
Form and metre
“Fuzzy-Wuzzy” is 48 lines in 4 stanzas of 12 lines each. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 11.6 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 12% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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--DD seasA · notB · burmeseA · lotB · im · orsesC · suakim · forcesC · soudan · man · signedD · inclinedD
- 2 ABABC-C-DDEE illsA · mileB · chillsA · styleB · theyC · swaller · sayC · oller · kidD · didD · fairE · squareE
- 3 ABAB-C-CDDEE ownA · rewardsB · shownA · swordsB · bush · spearC · rush · yearC · moreD · deploreD · fairE · squareE
- 4 ABABCDCD--EE driveA · eadB · aliveA · deadB · lambC · spreeD · damnC · infantreeD · soudan · man · airE · squareE
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| We've fought with many men acrost the seas, | 9 | ···/····· |
| An' some of 'em was brave an' some was not: | 10 | ·········· |
| The Paythan an' the Zulu an' Burmese; | 10 | ·····/··˘/ |
| But the Fuzzy was the finest o' the lot. | 11 | ··/˘··/˘··· |
| We never got a ha'porth's change of 'im: | 9 | ·/······· |
| 'E squatted in the scrub an' 'ocked our 'orses, | 11 | ·/˘·····/·· |
| 'E cut our sentries up at Suakim, | 9 | ··//˘···· |
| An' 'e played the cat an' banjo with our forces. | 12 | ······/··//˘ |
| So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan; | 15 | ····/˘/˘·····˘/ |
| You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man; | 15 | ···˘/˘······/˘· |
| We gives you your certificate, an' if you want it signed | 13 | ····˘/˘······ |
| We'll come an' 'ave a romp with you whenever you're inclined. | 15 | ···/˘····˘/˘·˘/ |
| We took our chanst among the Khyber 'ills, | 10 | ··/······· |
| The Boers knocked us silly at a mile, | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| The Burman give us Irriwaddy chills, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| An' a Zulu impi dished us up in style: | 11 | ··/·/˘····· |
| But all we ever got from such as they | 9 | ···/····· |
| Was pop to what the Fuzzy made us swaller; | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| We 'eld our bloomin' own, the papers say, | 10 | ··/····/˘· |
| But man for man the Fuzzy knocked us 'oller. | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Then 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' the missis and the kid; | 15 | ····/˘/˘··/˘··· |
| Our orders was to break you, an' of course we went an' did. | 14 | //˘··········· |
| We sloshed you with Martinis, an' it wasn't 'ardly fair; | 14 | ····˘/˘··/˘··· |
| But for all the odds agin' you, Fuzzy-Wuz, you broke the square. | 15 | ·····˘/·/˘····· |
| 'E 'asn't got no papers of 'is own, | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| 'E 'asn't got no medals nor rewards, | 9 | ····/˘·˘/ |
| So we must certify the skill 'e's shown | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| In usin' of 'is long two-'anded swords: | 9 | ·······˘· |
| When 'e's 'oppin' in an' out among the bush | 11 | ··········· |
| With 'is coffin-'eaded shield an' shovel-spear, | 11 | ··/˘/˘··/˘· |
| An 'appy day with Fuzzy on the rush | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Will last an 'ealthy Tommy for a year. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' your friends which are no more, | 15 | ····/˘/˘······· |
| If we 'adn't lost some messmates we would 'elp you to deplore; | 14 | ············˘/ |
| But give an' take's the gospel, an' we'll call the bargain fair, | 14 | ·····/˘····/˘· |
| For if you 'ave lost more than us, you crumpled up the square! | 15 | ···/˘·····/˘··· |
| 'E rushes at the smoke when we let drive, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| An', before we know, 'e's 'ackin' at our 'ead; | 11 | ·········/· |
| 'E's all 'ot sand an' ginger when alive, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| An' 'e's generally shammin' when 'e's dead. | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| 'E's a daisy, 'e's a ducky, 'e's a lamb! | 11 | ··/˘······· |
| 'E's a injia-rubber idiot on the spree, | 11 | ····/˘/˘··· |
| 'E's the on'y thing that doesn't give a damn | 11 | ··/˘··/˘··· |
| For a Regiment o' British Infantree! | 10 | ··/˘·/˘··· |
| So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan; | 15 | ····/˘/˘·····˘/ |
| You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man; | 15 | ···˘/˘······/˘· |
| An' 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, with your 'ayrick 'ead of 'air -- | 15 | ····/˘/˘······· |
| You big black boundin' beggar -- for you broke a British square! | 14 | ·····/˘····/˘· |
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.