What is the most striking about this exceptional poem by R. Kipling is that the whole text is based on the one grammar structure, which is a conditional. From the very beginning to the very end of it every thought and idea are expressed with a line beginning “if you can”. This constantly repeated phrase could have brought a monotony into the text, but this is not the case of Kipling’s poem. What in the hands of a less talented writer would make a failure piece, here stands for a source of melody and rhythm in the text. Every verse and stanza flow like a wave.
The main idea of the poem concentrates on the art of living wisely. There are a number of particularly beautiful phrases, which support this theme, like: „…being hated, don’t give way to hating”, „if you can dream and not make dreams your master”, or „if you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue”. The first one tells about being immune to bad feelings or having an ability not to respond with something very bad like hatred. The second exemplary phrase expresses the idea of being dare to dream while being guided by a common sense, as the dreams could be too risky or impossible. The third one evokes an image of a leader of any kind who speaks to the crowds and tries to establish a bound with everyone, but also keeps his identity and all the good things he has.
These examples and other „if” phrases in the poem seem to show some abilities, choices or ways of behavior which make a life of a man wise and good. Not only do they refer to the moral or ethical sphere of human existence, but also to the man’s psychical, spiritual and rational abilities. The last verse of the poem goes deeper. In fact all these abilities, choices and acts constitute a Man him/herself; a being who is totally different from the other living creatures.
Some of the words Kipling wrote with a capital letter, even though they are in the middle of a sentence. It may indicate their special meaning in the text, a kind of sign we have to stop by and think over. Let’s look at them closer: Triumph, Disaster, Will, Kings, Earth and Man. Separated from the text, they create an odd, but interesting string of words. They may compose into a kind of a story, with a Man in the first role.
This beautiful and powerful poem reminds us what it is to be a wise man and how to live a good life. The theme, which could be easily turned into a pack of moralistic cliches, here is expressed powerfully, due to the lyrical form and unusual structure of the text.
Agnieszka Małecka