To the True Romance
(From Many Inventions)
By Rudyard Kipling
Thy face is far from this our war,
Our call and counter-cry,
I shall not find Thee quick and kind,
Nor know Thee till I die:
Enough for me in dreams to see
And touch Thy garments' hem:
Thy feet have trod so near to God
I may not follow them.
Through wantonness if men profess
They weary of Thy parts,
E'en let them die at blasphemy
And perish with their arts;
But we that love, but we that prove
Thine excellence august,
While we adore discover more
Thee perfect, wise, and just.
Since spoken word Man's Spirit stirred
Beyond his belly-need,
What is is Thine of fair design
In thought and craft and deed;
Each stroke aright of toil and fight,
That was and that shall be,
And hope too high, wherefore we die,
Has birth and worth in Thee.
Who holds by Thee hath Heaven in fee
To gild his dross thereby,
And knowledge sure that he endure
A child until he die —
For to make plain that man's disdain
Is but new Beauty's birth —
For to possess, in loneliness,
The joy of all the earth.
As Thou didst teach all lovers speech,
And Life all mystery,
So shalt Thou rule by every school
Till love and longing die,
Who wast or yet the lights were set,
A whisper in the Void,
Who shalt be sung through planets young
When this is clean destroyed.
Beyond the bounds our staring rounds,
Across the pressing dark,
The children wise of outer skies
Look hitherward and mark
A light that shifts, a glare that drifts,
Rekindling thus and thus,
Not all forlorn, for Thou hast borne
Strange tales to them of us.
Time hath no tide but must abide
The servant of Thy will;
Tide hath no time, for to Thy rhyme
The ranging stars stand still —
Regent of spheres that lock our fears
Our hopes invisible,
Oh 'twas certes at Thy decrees
We fashioned Heaven and Hell!
Pure Wisdom hath no certain path
That lacks thy morning-eyne,
And captains bold by Thee controlled
Most like to Gods design;
Thou art the Voice to kingly boys
To lift them through the fight,
And Comfortress of Unsuccess,
To give the dead good-night —
A veil to draw 'twixt God His Law
And Man's infirmity,
A shadow kind to dumb and blind
The shambles where we die;
A sum to trick th' arithmetic
Too base of leaguing odds,
The spur of trust, the curb of lust,
Thou handmaid of the Gods!
Oh Charity, all patiently
Abiding wrack and scaith!
Oh Faith, that meets ten thousand cheats
Yet drops no jot of faith!
Devil and brute Thou dost transmute
To higher, lordlier show,
Who art in sooth that lovely Truth
The careless angels know!
Thy face is far from this our war,
Our call and counter-cry,
I may not find Thee quick and kind,
Nor meet Thee till I die.
Yet may I look with heart unshook
On blow brought home or missed —
Yet may I hear with equal ear
The clarions down the list;
Yet set my lance above mischance
And ride the barriere —
Oh, hit or miss, how little 'tis,
My Lady is not there!
Poem Analysis:
Rudyard Kipling’s "To the True Romance" is a contemplative and spiritually infused poem that delves into the complexities of divine transcendence, love, faith, and the human quest for meaning. In this poem, Kipling explores the ethereal nature of the divine, emphasizing the impossibility of immediate understanding or communion with it in the midst of human strife and warfare.
- Theme of Transcendence: The poem contemplates a profound and unattainable spiritual presence that exists beyond the turmoil of human conflicts. It touches on the idea that the divine remains distant from the chaos and struggles of human existence, implying a separation between the earthly realm and the divine.
- Spiritual Longing and Unattainability: Kipling illustrates a deep yearning for a spiritual connection and understanding that remains unfulfilled in the present moment. The speaker acknowledges the inability to immediately grasp or experience the divine, accepting that true comprehension and closeness may only be realized in death.
- Love and Devotion: The poem emphasizes a contrast between those who claim weariness or disinterest in the divine and those who love and seek to understand its excellence. The devout, according to the poem, find the divine to be perfect, wise, and just, contrary to those who reject or tire of its significance.
- Human Experience and the Divine: The poem reflects on how the divine influences various aspects of human life—art, work, hope, and the search for knowledge. It suggests that all human endeavors, aspirations, and creativity find their origin in the divine, emphasizing the presence of the divine in every facet of human existence.
- Unseen Influence and Legacy: There's an acknowledgment of the unseen influence of the divine across time and space, suggesting that the divine's impact transcends human boundaries, reaching beyond our physical world. The poem contemplates a future where the divine will be remembered and sung about even after the destruction of the current world.
- Moral and Spiritual Guidance: Kipling implies that the divine serves as a guide for moral conduct and spiritual understanding, providing comfort in times of failure, clarity in the face of confusion, and a moral compass in a world full of temptation and moral ambiguity.
- Acceptance and Resilience: The final stanzas illustrate a sense of acceptance and resilience. Despite the inability to fully grasp the divine or find it amid the trials and triumphs of life, the speaker resolves to face challenges, victories, and defeats alike, recognizing that the presence of the divine might not always be perceivable in those moments.
In conclusion, "To the True Romance" by Rudyard Kipling is a profound meditation on the ineffable nature of the divine, the impact of its influence on human life, and the unattainability of immediate communion with it in the midst of human turmoil. The poem weaves together themes of spirituality, love, resilience, and the enduring legacy of the divine throughout the cycles of human existence.