[Victoria Delsoul]

5-29-04

Graphic by Billie

The Glory Of The Garden
Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936)

Our England is a garden that is full of stately views,
Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues,
With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by;
But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye.

For where the old thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall,
You will find the tool- and potting-sheds which are the heart of all;
The cold-frames and the hot-houses, the dungpits and the tanks,
The rollers, carts and drain-pipes, with the barrows and the planks.

And there you'll see the gardeners, the men and 'prentice boys
Told off to do as they are bid and do it without noise;
For except when seeds are planted and we shout to scare the birds,
The Glory of the Garden it abideth not in words.

And some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose,
And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows;
But they can roll and trim the lawns and sift the sand and loam,
For the Glory of the Garden occupieth all who come.

Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing:--"Oh, how beautiful!" and sitting in the shade,
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At rubbing weeds from grave-paths with broken dinner-knives.

There's not a pair of legs so thin, there's not a head so thick,
There's not a hand so weak and white, nor yet a heart so sick.
But it can find some needful job that's crying to be done,
For the Glory of the Garden glorifieth every one.

Then seek your job with thankfulness and work till further orders,
If it's only netting strawberries or killing slugs on borders;
And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden,
You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden.

Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees,
So when your work is finished, you can wash your hand and pray
For the Glory of the Garden, that it may not pass away!
And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away!

Hi everybody. Today is my turn to post the Welcome graphic and pinglist.

Hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.

[KangarooJacqui]

Memorial Day already? How the time flies...

(We don't celebrate it here in Australia, but here's a big shout-out for all the military servicepeople who've served the US so well... cheers!)

[ST.LOUIE1]

Hi everybody. Today is my turn to post the Welcome graphic and pinglist.

And a fine job you did. : )

Have a terrific weekend!

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Saturday !

Have a cup while you Freep !

[PGalt]

Great work. Thanks for all that you do.

[T'wit]

What a striking and inspiring poem! Thank you.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Who is this Kipling guy? Some new poster horning in on our turf? He writes like a hack.

Morning! ; )

[Colt .45]

Memorial Day -

In Flanders fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow
Loved and were loved and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
- Lt. Col. John McCrae, KIA 1918 in Flanders Belgium after 4 years on the Western Front.

[PreviouslyA-Lurker]

That's beautiful! Thank you for posting.