‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling
EC English 30+ Advanced 1DB
In 1910 English writer Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem ‘If’ as a piece of advice to his son. If his son follows all his father’s suggestions he will grow up to be a ‘man.
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run—
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Rudyard Kipling
In response to the poem the Advanced class wrote their own versions, dedicated to young girls and giving them advice for growing up into women. Here are their wonderful versions of a classic poem.
If you can copy this merry lark, oh jolly!
Always appearing in his neat finest feather
Lithe, gracious, flippant, ever pleasing his Master.
Sometimes he’s playing coy when it’s necessary.
If you can understand feminine wittiness
Never has done better that the shyest fondness
And there’s no good to withstand against your nature
Or for this eccentric fool that you call culture
If you can stay humble, modest in all your move
Respect is the rare value you need to prove
A bit of secrecy is always usefully
But don’t tarnish it with absurd melancholy
If you silence the voice of impetuous youth
And listen to the advice of elderly truth
You’ll flourish and shine as the perfect woman.
Sophie
If you want to be a creative girl
Take all opportunities and dreams you get
Look after your wishes like a squirrel
Draw your life in glittering colours and red
Love your family and never forget
Life is a given treasure in a hidden cave
By the time you get in and feel very safe
And which is more – you’ll be a brilliant woman
Heike
If you want to be a respectful girl
And walk through your life with honour and faith
If you can be in control of your thrill
And believe you will get it and stay safe
If you want to shine like a beautiful pearl
Even against people who don’t like it
Then you will have everything you need to be a woman, my girl
Milena
If you can make your own way and not care
About what other people think of you
If you can enjoy the moment and share
Every pleasure, everything that is new
If you can create with your hands and mind
A world of beauty, fairer and better
If you can find your place in humankind
You will be a woman, my dear daughter
Muriel
If you have to decide in your life once
Which way you want to go, the left, the right
If you can balance reasons with joyance
And believe in love and strength, don’t take fright
If you remain in childlike curiosity
And match with cleverness and experience
You won’t be wrong if you do it patiently
You’ll be a woman then, my girl, my maid
Martina
Interested in letting your creativity speak and sharing it with your classmates, come and join us for English classes for adults in London 🙂 !!