Friday, August 5, 2016

I am reproducing an old poetry by Rudyad Kipling  that was written during the Raj era.


MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN

In Tropical climes there are those times
When the citizens oft retire
to sit and pant and catch their breath
to be dormant and perspire

The thieves don't care; the bandits don’t dare
The Hindus sleep till one
But mad dogs and Englishmen
Go wander  in the sun

In the Philipines they have the screens
to protect you from the glare
In the Malayasia they have the hats
which the Brit will just not wear

At twelve noon the locals swoon
and no more work is done
But mad dogs and Englishmen
go wandering in the sun

When the world sits in shade
All the people see
The Englishman dons his solar hat
and rides around in glee

When the English claim the Earth these days
The people just poke fun
‘Cause mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun

In a jungle town where the Sun beats down
to the rage of man and beast
The English garb of the Englishman
Gets merely a bit more creased

The outdoors people shun at noon
The morning chores are done
But mad dogs and Englishmen
Keep wandering in the sun

The logic isn’t so hollow
Even the fools choose to follow
one must avoid the solar rays
In the heat of the tropical days

In Hong Kong they strike a gong
and fire off a noonday gun
But mad dogs and Englishmen
go out in the midday sun

In the mangorve swamps
where the python romps
there is peace from twelve till two
The deer lie and go to sleep
for there's nothing else to do

At noon in the humid tropics
Moving is seldom done
But mad dogs and Englishmen

Go out in the midday sun

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.