Poetry Month: Cold Iron

[alpharaposa]

Cold Iron
By Rudyard Kipling

Gold is for the mistress -- silver for the maid --
Copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade."
"Good!" said the Baron, sitting in his hall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of them all."

So he made rebellion 'gainst the King his liege,
Camped before his citadel and summoned it to siege.
"Nay!" said the cannoneer on the castle wall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- shall be master of you all!"

Woe for the Baron and his knights so strong,
When the cruel cannon-balls laid 'em all along;
He was taken prisoner, he was cast in thrall,
And Iron -- Cold Iron -- was master of it all!

Yet his King spake kindly (ah, how kind a Lord!)
"What if I release thee now and give thee back thy sword?"
"Nay!" said the Baron, "mock not at my fall,
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of men all."

"Tears are for the craven, prayers are for the clown --
Halters for the silly neck that cannot keep a crown."
"As my loss is grievous, so my hope is small,
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- must be master of men all!"

Yet his King made answer (few such Kings there be!)
"Here is Bread and here is Wine -- sit and sup with me.
Eat and drink in Mary's Name, the whiles I do recall
How Iron -- Cold Iron -- can be master of men all!"

He took the Wine and blessed it. He blessed and brake the Bread.
With His own Hands He served Them, and presently He said:
"See! These Hands they pierced with nails, outside My city wall,
Show Iron -- Cold Iron -- to be master of men all."

"Wounds are for the desperate, blows are for the strong.
Balm and oil for weary hearts all cut and bruised with wrong.
I forgive thy treason -- I redeem thy fall --
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- must be master of men all!"

"Crowns are for the valiant -- sceptres for the bold!
Thrones and powers for mighty men who dare to take and hold!"
"Nay!" said the Baron, kneeling in his hall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of men all!
Iron out of Calvary is master of men all!"


I had known the first stanza of this poem for some years now... but not the whole of it. Color me humbled.

Comments

[eric-hinkle.livejournal.com]

Great poetry from a great writer. I count myself lucky as I own a book that has every Kipling poem in it. Really, he's just about the only poet I can actually read (well, him and some Bob Howard and the odd bit from the English Romantics).

[aefenglommung.livejournal.com]

I've never actually encountered this poem before. I only recognize it from an allusion in The Castle of Iron, by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt. In it, the "Compleat Enchanter," Harold Shea, changes some sand into gold pieces, while chanting,

"Iron's for the soldier, silver for the maid,
Copper for the craftsman, working at his trade.
Sand is but silly stuff, sifting to a fall;
But gold, red gold! is the master of them all."

When Harold attempts to buy from a blacksmith, however, his money turns back into sand as soon as it touches the anvil. The story goes on to say,

Too late, on the road again, Shea remember that Kipling's original poem had made iron, not gold, the master of them all, so that of course the spell had gone sour.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Ah, those were some great stories. ^_^ I miss the age of such fantasies. Now people feel they need to be 'hip' with computer programming and such brought into fantasy eras if they're going to do this kind of crossover.

[eric-hinkle.livejournal.com]

I'll add in another vote for the greatness of the Harold Shea stories. Very well done alternate earth fantasies.

[stryck.livejournal.com]

That's where I first ran across it.

[silussa.livejournal.com]

If you should know some SCA folks, there is a lovely filk song using these words that has been circulating around for quite some time. That is how I was exposed to the poem.