"Have You News of my Boy Jack?" by Rudyard Kipling

 

Have You News of my Boy Jack?

"Have you news of my boy Jack?"

Not this tide.

"When d'you think that he'll come back?"

Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

 

 

"Has anyone else had word of him?"

Not this tide.

For what is sunk will hardly swim,

Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

 

 

"Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?"

None this tide,

Nor any tide,

Except he did not shame his kind -

Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.

 

 

Then hold your head up all the more,

This tide,

And every tide;

Because he was the son you bore,

And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!

  

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/IkOhCAT8foU

Who wrote the poem "Have You News of my Boy Jack?"?

Joseph Rudyard Kipling (December 30, 1865 - January 18, 1936)

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English journalist, novelist, and poet. He was one of the most popular writers in England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in India, and his work including "The Jungle Book" showed much Indian influence. 

"Have You News of my Boy Jack?" explanation

In the poem, the speaker, the father of a sailor, asks for news of his son, seemingly lost at sea. The answers suggest that he will never return. It was written for Jack Cornwell, the 16 year old sailor killed in action during the WWI, who posthumously received the Victoria Cross. The poem is perhaps also affected by the tragic death of the poet’s own son, John Kipling. John was killed in action at the start of the WWI, at the age of 18. John’s initial attempts to enlist were rejected due to his poor eyesight. It was only the after his influential father requested that he was accepted into the military. The moderation and simplicity of the poem makes the overall feeling all the more poignant.