If -by Rudyard Kipling

 

If      -by Rudyard Kipling

About this poem:

·       Published date: 1910 AD ·       Form: 32 lines divided into 4 octaves(stanza of 8 lines) ·       Rhyme scheme: ABABCDCD ·       Speaker: father ·       Addressee(listener): son ·       Main idea: This poem is a bundle of suggestions from father to his son. In the poem, the poet tells his son how to cope with different situations in the life ahead.

 

Poem	Word-meanings
If you can keep your head when all about you        Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,    If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,     But make allowance for their doubting too;    If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,     Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,     And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:	keep head- zfGt /xg' to keep calm blame- cf/f]k nufpg', accuse doubt- z+sf ug{', distrust make allowance- cg'dlt lbg', to permit/allow tired- ylst, exhausted lied- 9fF6Lg' wise- ljj]sL sensible
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;        If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;    If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster     And treat those two impostors just the same;    If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken     Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,     And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:	master- dflns lord, ruler triumph- lht, victory, success disaster- laktL catastrophe imposter- wf]s]jfh deceiver/ cheater knaves- a]dfg dishonest  person trap- hfndf kfg{' fools- मूर्खहरू idiots/ stupids stoop- em'Sg', to bend the body downward worn-out- k'/fgf] old/ damaged tools- cf}hf/x? instruments
If you can make one heap of all your winnings     And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings     And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew     To serve your turn long after they are gone,    And so hold on when there is nothing in you     Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’	heap- y'k|f] pile winnings-pknlJwx?, achievements pitch-and-toss- l;k / df}sfsf] v]n nerve- :gfo", brain sinew- tGt', tissue will- OR5f desire
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,        Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,     If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute     With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,    Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,        And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!	Word-meaning: virtue- /fd|f]  u'0f good quality common touch- ;/ntf simplicity foes- b'Zdgx? enemies count with-;fy lbg' to support unforgiving- 'km]/L df}sf gldNg]  not giving next chance worth- pkof]uL important, useful

A.   Match the following words/phrases with their correct meanings.

a.   unforgiving- vii. not giving a second chance: not happening again

b.  virtue- iii. behaviour showing high moral standards

c.   sinew- vi. a strong band of tissues in the body

d.  pitch-and-toss- v. a game of skill and chance

e.   worn-out- ii. badly damaged and no longer useful

f.     stoop- ix. to bend the body forwards and downwards

g.  knave- viii. a person who cheats by pretending to be somebody else

h.  triumph- iv. a great success, achievement or victory

i.    impostor- vi. a dishonest person

 

B.Complete the summary of the poem using the given words/phrases.

(will, importance, success and failure value, inspirational, truthfulness, virtue)

In 'If', Rudyard Kipling provides inspirational insights into life. In the first stanza, the poet suggests us to keep calm, have self- trust and bear failure. According to the poet, it is important to be thoughtful about an action before undertaking it. Similarly, balancing between success and failure is another important quality of a successful person. In the third stanza, the poet suggests us to value our winnings. We must devote our intellect, heart, and muscle in the work we do, and we should always have a strong virtue to achieve success. In the final stanza, the poet suggests us to maintain our truthfulness no matter who we are with. Most importantly, we must realize the importance of time.

 

 

C.   Answer the following questions.

a. What does the poet suggest about dealing with lies?

Ans: The poet suggests that we should never tell lies in our life. We should maintain truthfulness. We should not care even if people spread lies about you.

 

b. What do you mean by 'not be tired by waiting'?

Ans: 'Not be tired by waiting' means ‘having patience and endurance without becoming weary or frustrated while waiting for something’.

 

c. Why should we not aim only to dream in life?

Ans: We should not aim only to dream in life because only dreaming is not enough in life. Dreams are meaningless unless they are converted into reality. Hence, we should try to convert the dream into reality by being practical and action-oriented.

 

d. How do you think we can achieve our dream?

Ans: I think we can achieve our dram by being practical, hard-working and action-oriented.

 

e. What can knaves do to us?

Ans: Knaves can twist the truth spoken by others to trap fools.

 

f. Why should we forget our failures in life?

Ans: We should forget our failures in life because it can hinder progress and growth. To move forward and succeed, it is important to learn from failures, let go of the past, and focus on the present and future opportunities.

 

g. What should we do if we lose the 'pitch-and-toss'?

Ans: If we lose the "pitch-and-toss," we should start again from the beginning without thinking or saying anything about the loss to others. We should try again and again using our heart, nerve and sinew until we succeed.