City Of Brass

 

This seems appropriate on the first Sunday of Lent, Kipling's City of Brass:

Here was a people whom after their works
thou shalt see wept over for their lost dominion:
and in this palace is the last information
respecting lords collected in the dust.” –
The Arabian Nights.

In a land that the sand overlays – the ways to her gates are untrod – A multitude ended their days whose gates were made splendid by God, Till they grew drunk and were smitten with madness and went to their fall, And of these is a story written: but Allah Alone knoweth all!

When the wine stirred in their heart their bosoms dilated.
They rose to suppose themselves kings over all things created –
To decree a new earth at a birth without labour or sorrow –
To declare: “We prepare it to-day and inherit to-morrow.”
They chose themselves prophets and priests of minute understanding,
Men swift to see done, and outrun, their extremest commanding –
Of the tribe which describe with a jibe the perversions of Justice –
Panders avowed to the crowd whatsoever its lust is.

Swiftly these pulled down the walls that their fathers had made them –
The impregnable ramparts of old, they razed and relaid them
As playgrounds of pleasure and leisure, with limitless entries,
And havens of rest for the wastrels where once walked the sentries;
And because there was need of more pay for the shouters and marchers,
They disbanded in face of their foemen their yeomen and archers.
They replied to their well-wishers’ fears – to their enemies laughter,
Saying: “Peace! We have fashioned a God Which shall save us hereafter.
We ascribe all dominion to man in his factions conferring,
And have given to numbers the Name of the Wisdom unerring.”

They said: “Who has hate in his soul? Who has envied his neighbour?
Let him arise and control both that man and his labour.”
They said: “Who is eaten by sloth? Whose unthrift has destroyed him?
He shall levy a tribute from all because none have employed him.”
They said: “Who hath toiled, who hath striven, and gathered possession?
Let him be spoiled. He hath given full proof of transgression.”
They said: “Who is irked by the Law? Though we may not remove it.
If he lend us his aid in this raid, we will set him above it!
So the robber did judgment again upon such as displeased him,
The slayer, too, boasted his slain, and the judges released him.

As for their kinsmen far off, on the skirts of the nation,
They harried all earth to make sure none escaped reprobation.
They awakened unrest for a jest in their newly-won borders,
And jeered at the blood of their brethren betrayed by their orders.
They instructed the ruled to rebel, their rulers to aid them;
And, since such as obeyed them not fell, their Viceroys obeyed them.
When the riotous set them at naught they said: “Praise the upheaval!
For the show and the world and the thought of Dominion is evil!”
They unwound and flung from them with rage, as a rag that defied them,
The imperial gains of the age which their forefathers piled them.
They ran panting in haste to lay waste and embitter for ever
The wellsprings of Wisdom and Strengths which are Faith and Endeavour.
They nosed out and digged up and dragged forth and exposed to derision
All doctrine of purpose and worth and restraint and prevision:

And it ceased, and God granted them all things for which they had striven,
And the heart of a beast in the place of a man’s heart was given. . . .

. . . . . . . .

When they were fullest of wine and most flagrant in error,
Out of the sea rose a sign – out of Heaven a terror.
Then they saw, then they heard, then they knew – for none troubled to hide it,
A host had prepared their destruction, but still they denied it.
They denied what they dared not abide if it came to the trail;
But the Sward that was forged while they lied did not heed their denial.
It drove home, and no time was allowed to the crowd that was driven.
The preposterous-minded were cowed – they thought time would be given.
There was no need of a steed nor a lance to pursue them;
It was decreed their own deed, and not a chance, should undo them.
The tares they had laughingly sown were ripe to the reaping.
The trust they had leagued to disown was removed from their keeping.
The eaters of other men’s bread, the exempted from hardship,
The excusers of impotence fled, abdicating their wardship,
For the hate they had taught through the State brought the State no defender,
And it passed from the roll of the Nations in headlong surrender!

On point, don't you think?

Your Old Pal,

LSP

PS. Thanks, LL, for the constant reminder.

What A Dam Disgrace

 

This makes me weep, it may not you. Sic transit. Then there's this besuited, Whitehall, sandy haired, baggy-eyed traitor. And Tony Margarine Demon Blair, watch out for him. 

Come back Curzon and Rhodes, all is forgiven.

Words fail,

LSP

Never Forget

 

Here's John Silber's commentary on Kipling's Gods of the Copybook Headings, via LL:

If we have the courage to face reality, we will know and proclaim these harrowing truths: that the degenerate society consumed in pleasure-seeking will not survive (“the wages of sin is death”), that the society that will not defend its freedom will lose it (“stick to the Devil you know”), that a society that consumes more than it produces will go bankrupt (“if you don’t work, you die”). We ill serve ourselves and our children by preparing ourselves and them for a life of freedom and easy living that may never come and most certainly will never last. We had better prepare ourselves and them for reality—a reality that is infused with moral laws as surely as it is infused with physical laws; a reality in which there is no consumption without production, no freedom without defense, no self-fulfillment and no self-government without self-disciplined persons who govern themselves, persons who are capable of subordinating their desires long enough to achieve the conditions on which freedom and survival, and even pleasure, depend.

 

Never Forget,

LSP

The Democrat Playbook - City of Brass

With LL I think this as pertinent as it ever was, perhaps more so. The City of Brass by Kipling:

In a land that the sand overlays – the ways to her gates are untrod –

A multitude ended their days whose gates were made splendid by God,

Till they grew drunk and were smitten with madness and went to their fall,

And of these is a story written: but Allah Alone knoweth all!

When the wine stirred in their heart their bosoms dilated.

They rose to suppose themselves kings over all things created –

To decree a new earth at a birth without labour or sorrow –

To declare: “We prepare it to-day and inherit to-morrow.”

They chose themselves prophets and priests of minute understanding,

Men swift to see done, and outrun, their extremest commanding –

Of the tribe which describe with a jibe the perversions of Justice –

Panders avowed to the crowd whatsoever its lust is.

Swiftly these pulled down the walls that their fathers had made them –

The impregnable ramparts of old, they razed and relaid them

As playgrounds of pleasure and leisure, with limitless entries,

And havens of rest for the wastrels where once walked the sentries;

And because there was need of more pay for the shouters and marchers,

They disbanded in face of their foemen their yeomen and archers.

They replied to their well-wishers’ fears – to their enemies laughter,

Saying: “Peace! We have fashioned a God Which shall save us hereafter.

We ascribe all dominion to man in his factions conferring,

And have given to numbers the Name of the Wisdom unerring.”

They said: “Who has hate in his soul? Who has envied his neighbour?

Let him arise and control both that man and his labour.”

They said: “Who is eaten by sloth? Whose unthrift has destroyed him?

He shall levy a tribute from all because none have employed him.”

They said: “Who hath toiled, who hath striven, and gathered possession?

Let him be spoiled. He hath given full proof of transgression.”

They said: “Who is irked by the Law? Though we may not remove it.

If he lend us his aid in this raid, we will set him above it!

So the robber did judgment again upon such as displeased him,

The slayer, too, boasted his slain, and the judges released him.

As for their kinsmen far off, on the skirts of the nation,

They harried all earth to make sure none escaped reprobation.

They awakened unrest for a jest in their newly-won borders,

And jeered at the blood of their brethren betrayed by their orders.

They instructed the ruled to rebel, their rulers to aid them;

And, since such as obeyed them not fell, their Viceroys obeyed them.

When the riotous set them at naught they said: “Praise the upheaval!

For the show and the world and the thought of Dominion is evil!”

They unwound and flung from them with rage, as a rag that defied them,

The imperial gains of the age which their forefathers piled them.

They ran panting in haste to lay waste and embitter for ever

The wellsprings of Wisdom and Strengths which are Faith and Endeavour.

They nosed out and digged up and dragged forth and exposed to derision

All doctrine of purpose and worth and restraint and prevision:

And it ceased, and God granted them all things for which they had striven,

And the heart of a beast in the place of a man’s heart was given. . . .

               .          .        .          .          .           .          .          .          

When they were fullest of wine and most flagrant in error,

Out of the sea rose a sign – out of Heaven a terror.

Then they saw, then they heard, then they knew – for none troubled to hide it,

A host had prepared their destruction, but still they denied it.

They denied what they dared not abide if it came to the trail;

But the Sword that was forged while they lied did not heed their denial.

It drove home, and no time was allowed to the crowd that was driven.

The preposterous-minded were cowed – they thought time would be given.

There was no need of a steed nor a lance to pursue them;

It was decreed their own deed, and not a chance, should undo them. 

The tares they had laughingly sown were ripe to the reaping.

The trust they had leagued to disown was removed from their keeping.

The eaters of other men’s bread, the exempted from hardship,

The excusers of impotence fled, abdicating their wardship,

For the hate they had taught through the State brought the State no defender,

And it passed from the roll of the Nations in headlong surrender!

Some scorn Kipling, not least the admirable GK Chesterton, but he wasn't infallible, unlike the Church he defended. Regardless, Kipling's surely prophetic.

Swords Up,

LSP

Pegu Gin Kickback

The River of the Lost Footsteps and the Golden Mystery upon 

its Banks. The Iniquity of Jordan. Shows how a Man may go 

to the Shway Dagon Pagoda and see it not and to the 

Pegu Club and hear too much.

As you calculate the odds of Great Britain being able to defend itself against, say, Schleswig Holstein, what better way to steady the nerves than a stiff Pegu Gin.

Named after the famous Pegu Club, which is now sadly abandoned, the Pegu is a kind of Gin Margarita, ideally suited for warm climates such as Burma or Texas. It goes like this.

2 ounces++ dry gin

1/2 ounce orange Curacao

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

1 Dash Angostura Bitters

1 Dash Orange Bitters

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well, and strain into a chilled glass. Go light on the orange and strong on the lime if you're smart.

Then, as you ponder the capacity of the Sceptered Isle to protect itself in the absence of even having a plan to do so, kick back and drink your Pegu Gin like a warrior.

Cheers,

LSP

Poetry, Innit

Thanks, LL.

Recessional - Rudyard Kipling

God of our fathers, known of old, 

Lord of our far-flung battle-line, 

Beneath whose awful Hand we hold 

Dominion over palm and pine— 

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, 

Lest we forget—lest we forget! 

The tumult and the shouting dies; 

The Captains and the Kings depart: 

Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, 

An humble and a contrite heart. 

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, 

Lest we forget—lest we forget! 

Far-called, our navies melt away; 

On dune and headland sinks the fire: 

Lo, all our pomp of yesterday 

Is one with Nineveh and Tyre! 

Judge of the Nations, spare us yet, 

Lest we forget—lest we forget! 

If, drunk with sight of power, we loose 

Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe, 

Such boastings as the Gentiles use, 

Or lesser breeds without the Law— 

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, 

Lest we forget—lest we forget! 

For heathen heart that puts her trust 

In reeking tube and iron shard, 

All valiant dust that builds on dust, 

And guarding, calls not Thee to guard, 

For frantic boast and foolish word— 

Thy mercy on Thy People, Lord! 

As you reflect on Recessional, ponder this. Churchill's bust is back in the Oval Office. Glory has returned to Israel.

Your Old Pal,

LSP

LL Comes To Town

I was banging on my nightvision monocular in a vain attempt to speak truth to power when the phone buzzed. Hunh, an email, from LL; I decrypted it. "Hey, LSP, let's meet up for dinner in Dallas. I'll be there on business."

A little later we were getting down to steak and heart attack potatoes, somewhere in Dallas. Steak is plentiful in Trump's America and it seemed right to take advantage of that, which we did, while catching up on business.

LL

"So what happened to the drones?"

"Well, they crashed, the drones crashed and if they want my help they'll have to pay."

"Payment is key."

"Right, and this new project looks promising. Things are better now since the election, unless you're Hillary with $7 million dollars worth of unneeded fireworks sitting on a barge and a trashed Victory Suit."

"Really, they were drunk on hubris."

A Typical White Wolf

Conversation moved on to the White Wolf Mine, the site of LL's future mountain redoubt. A safe space, if you like, far away from the insanity of the metrosprawl. I suggested that the fortress have a dry room for all the ammunition and, sure enough, an armory and ammo bunker are built into the plans. I'm pressing for a tower, too, but all good things in time.

It's Starting to Look a Lot Like Kwanzaa!

Speaking of which, I searched high and low for a Kwanzaa book to give in return for steak, but had to make do with Kipling. Next time.

Just a Couple of Druids

Thanks, LL, for a great meal. Good luck with Big Blue, A&M and the latest project. Build that Compound!

LSP

The City of Brass

And the heart of a beast in the place of a man’s heart was given

From the City of Brass

They unwound and flung from them with rage, as a rag that defiled them
The imperial gains of the age which their forefathers piled them.
They ran panting in haste to lay waste and embitter for ever
The wellsprings of Wisdom and Strength which are Faith and Endeavour.
They nosed out and digged up and dragged forth and exposed to derision
All doctrine of purpose and worth and restraint and prevision:
And it ceased, and God granted them all things for which they had striven,
And the heart of a beast in the place of a man’s heart was given...

You can read the whole thing here, if you like. Kipling was writing about the Empire on which the sun never set, some think he's relevant today.

Kizmet,

LSP

Madonna, Hermetic Sorceress?

Famous pop icon and low-level Illuminati witch, Madonna, has thrown her pointed hat into the ring against Dolce & Gabbana, after the fashion duo spoke out against gays having IVF children.

Here at Team LSP, we have to ask: Who would be so irresponsible as to lend Madonna a child, and secondly, since when did the Queen of Pop become an "as above, so below" authority on Hermes Trismegistus?

As noted previously, the Vatican is wisely commissioning more Exorcists; here's what Kipling has to say.

Oh the road to En-dor is the oldest road

And the craziest road of all!

Straight it runs to the Witch’s abode,

As it did in the days of Saul,

And nothing has changed of the sorrow in store

For such as go down on the road to En-dor!

God bless,

LSP

The Ballad of East and West

This one's for LL. The Ballad of East and West, by Kipling.


Kamal is out with twenty men to raise the Border side,
And he has lifted the Colonel's mare that is the Colonel's pride:
He has lifted her out of the stable-door between the dawn and the day,
And turned the calkins upon her feet, and ridden her far away.
Then up and spoke the Colonel's son that led a troop of the Guides:
``Is there never a man of all my men can say where Kamal hides?''
Then up and spoke Mahommed Khan, the son of the Ressaldar,
``If ye know the track of the morning-mist, ye know where his pickets are.
At dusk he harries the Abazai---at dawn he is into Borair,
But he must go by Fort Bukloh to his own place to fare,
So if ye gallop to Fort Bukloh as fast as a bird can fly,
By the favour of God ye may cut him off ere he win to the Tonuge of Jagai,
But if he be passed the Tongue of Jagai, right swiftly turn ye then,
For the length and the breadth of that grisly plain is sown with Kamal's men.
There is rock to the left, and rock to the right, and low lean thorn between,
And ye may hear a breech-bolt snick where never a man is seen.''

Read the whole thing here, if you like.

It ends like this:

Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,

Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgement Seat;

But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,

When two strong men stand face to face, tho' they come from the ends of the earth!

Chesterton hated Kipling and I like Chesterton lot. I also like Kipling.

Rumours that I charge about on a horse around the Compound with a saber may or may not be true.

LSP