The Recall

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



I am the land of their fathers,
In me the virtue stays.
I will bring back my children,
After certain days.

Under their feet in the grasses
My clinging magic runs.
They shall return as strangers.
They shall remain as sons.

Over their heads in the branches
Of their new-bought, ancient trees,
I weave an incantation
And draw them to my knees.

Scent of smoke in the evening,
Smell of rain in the night--
The hours, the days and the seasons,
Order their souls aright,

Till I make plain the meaning
Of all my thousand years--
Till I fill their hearts with knowledge,
While I fill their eyes with tears.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 13, 2023

33 sec read
143

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCB DEAE DFCF GHEH GXXX
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 586
Words 112
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist chiefly remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India and his tales for children. more…

All Rudyard Kipling poems | Rudyard Kipling Books

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