med_cat: (Blue writing)
Nechama Chaya ([personal profile] med_cat) wrote2023-10-21 09:52 pm

"The Piligrim's Way", by Rudyard Kipling

The Pilgrim's Way


I do not look for holy saints to guide me on my way,
Or male and female devilkins to lead my feet astray.
If these are added, I rejoice---if not, I shall not mind,
So long as I have leave and choice to meet my fellow-kind.
For as we come and as we go (and deadly-soon go we!)
The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!

Thus I will honour pious men whose virtue shines so bright
(Though none are more amazed than I when I by chance do right),
And I will pity foolish men for woe their sins have bred
(Though ninety-nine per cent. of mine I brought on my own head).
And, Amorite or Eremite, or General Averagee,
The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!

And when they bore me overmuch, I will not shake mine ears,
Recalling many thousand such whom I have bored to tears.
And when they labour to impress, I will not doubt nor scoff;
Since I myself have done no less and---sometimes pulled it off.
Yea, as we are and we are not, and we pretend to be,
The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!

And when they work me random wrong, as oftentimes hath been,
I will not cherish hate too long (my hands are none too clean).
And when they do me random good I will not feign surprise.
No more than those whom I have cheered with wayside charities.
But, as we give and as we take---whate'er our takings be---
The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!

But when I meet with frantic folk who sinfully declare
There is no pardon for their sin, the same I will not spare
Till I have proved that Heaven and Hell which in our hearts we have
Show nothing irredeemable on either side of the grave.
For as we live and as we die---if utter Death there be---
The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!

Deliver me from every pride---the Middle, High, and Low---
That bars me from a brother's side, whatever pride he show.
And purge me from all heresies of thought and speech and pen
That bid me judge him otherwise than I am judged. Amen!
That I may sing of Crowd or King or road-borne company,
That I may labour in my day, vocation and degree,
To prove the same in deed and name, and hold unshakenly
(Where'er I go, whate'er I know, whoe'er my neighbor be)
This single faith in Life and Death and to Eternity:
``The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!''

(Rudyard Kipling)

(via [personal profile] debriswoman --many thanks :))

[personal profile] acelightning73 2023-10-22 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I do know the story of the Good Samaritan. Please tell me the story about the plagues.

[personal profile] acelightning73 2023-10-23 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
I *have* heard those stories, from my childhood music teacher, who was a cantor. I miss him now. Thank you for the re-tellings!

And I know that it's permitted to violate any of the Laws in order to save a life. The man whose valuable ox fell down, and though it was the Sabbath, many people labored hard to get the ox back up on its feet on solid ground. And my late High Priestess (who was a JeWitch) said that instead of prohibiting organ transplants, they should encourage them to save more lives. (She had kidney problems, and she couldn't get a transplant because she had some sort of oddball immune system anomaly that would make her reject any transplants. So she died when her dialysis port got infected and opened up, and she bled to death on her kitchen floor, with the phone in her hand dialing 9-1-1. I miss her too.