'The Power Of The Dog' is Rudyard Kipling's poignant and heart-wrenching1922 poem about the unique and beautiful friendship between man and dogs and the inevitable heart-break and profound grief that must follow once this tremendous bond is ripped apart by death. In the space of 5 stanzas, Kipling takes us on a journey of wonderful companionship, unflinching loyalty, indescribably magnificent friendship between human beings and canines and then tears out our hearts by bringing this adventure to its sorrowful conclusion. Kipling's warning that this one-of-a-kind relationship and camaraderie will lead to immense grief once the dog passes away, serves to highlight the importance of dogs as pets and the place that they hold in the hearts of their owners. Kipling uses repetition to emphasise his statement. He also says that for all the sorrows and sadness that the world presents, is humans willfully subject themselves to the torture of separation from their canine companions again and again by having one dog after another as a pet and asks why we do so as a rhetorical question (Kipling knows full well why).This poem is one that every dog lover, dog parent and indeed animal lover will relate to.
Full Poem:
There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie-
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.
When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find-it’s your own affair-
But… you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.
When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!).
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone-wherever it goes-for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.
We’ve sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we’ve kept ’em, the more do we grieve:
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-time loan is as bad as a long-
So why in-Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?
Please Subscribe to our channel and share it with your friends and family.
#friendship #mananddog #canine
28 сен 2024
