This poem is chosen in honour of my nephew Matthew’s birthday which was yesterday. It is another by Rudyard Kipling: “I Keep Six Honest Serving Men”.
She sends ’em abroad on her own affairs,
Rudyard Kipling (1865—1936)
From the second she opens her eyes—
One million Hows, two million Wheres,
And seven million Whys!
Poem 323. I Keep Six Honest Serving Men
I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest.
I let them rest from nine till five,
For I am busy then,
As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea,
For they are hungry men.
But different folk have different views;
I know a person small—
She keeps ten million serving-men,
Who get no rest at all!
She sends ’em abroad on her own affairs,
From the second she opens her eyes—
One million Hows, two million Wheres,
And seven million Whys!
This humorous poem likens the questions we all ask to servants who go and find out the answers for us. Kipling was a journalist and so his stock in trade was questions and the finding out of answers—he employed all six of his serving-men to compile reports on local events in his early years and later on in writing his poetry, short stories and longer works.
Kipling begins by introducing the six “serving-men” and tells us that he uses them vigorously during the course of his working day but allows them to rest when he does. By way of contrast, he mentions a “a person small”—his daughter Josephine who was clearly an inquisitive child as most young children are—she employs millions of serving-men, for she incessantly asks questions and her serving-men are kept constantly busy.
I like it because it reminds us to ask questions and listen to the answers so that we can learn about the world around us and it evokes a child’s wonder at the world and our thirst for knowledge when we are young. Josephine died at the age of seven, so the poem is also a poignant reminder that childhood is fragile.
Links
- Read about the poem at The Kipling Society.
- Listen to Jonathan Jones’s performance on YouTube.