More intellectual archeology

[larryhammer]

This 1962 edition of Eliot's Choice of Kipling's Verse was a gift to Tom on his 18th birthday from his affectionate Mom. Aside from the inscription, the only writing is a red-penciled circle around the title of "If—", but several pages are dog-eared. The poems marked are not the expected ones, though some have expectable sentiments:

• "The Song of the Dead" from "A Song of the English"
  
• "The Gipsy Trail"
  
• "Gehazi"
  
• "Hymn Before Action"
  
• "The Benefactors"
  
• The page with "The Rebel" and "The Obedient" from "Epitaphs of the War"

Nothing from after the Great War, and ("If—" aside) none are poems paired with a story. This young Tom had an interesting mind.

---L.

p.s. ObBonusKipling: "The Storm Cone"

ETA: Further examination reveals that young Tom habitually dogears the righthand page, even if the poem starts on the left. This means the mark in "Epitaphs of the War" could be for anything from "Bombed in London" through "The Obedient". Given his age and the date, "Common Form" and/or "A Dead Statesman" seems the most likely. Both of which deserve to be revived today.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Jumped right to "The Gypsy Trail" and loved it--will read the others, too. Thanks for the links!

[larryhammer]

Note btw the linked poem mispells the title, even though Kipling's spelling is all through the poem.

---L.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

...or somebody else in the family had an interesting mind!

[larryhammer]

Or a succeeding owner, I considered. I prefer to think of it as Tom's work, absent any clue to alternate ownership.

---L.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

True. He must have loved Kipling--or maybe Mom did!

[larryhammer]

Whoever it was, they read through to find some interesting ones.

---L.