DIY History | Transcribe | World War I Diaries and Letters | Robert Morriss Browning correspondence to Mabel C. Williams, April-June 1918 | 1918-05-16 Robert M. Browning To Dr. Mabel C. Williams Page 5

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Robert Morriss Browning correspondence to Mabel C. Williams, April-June 1918

1918-05-16 Robert M. Browning To Dr. Mabel C. Williams Page 5

The Power of the Dog
There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
But when we are certain of sorrow in store
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie-
Perfect possession and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.
When the fourteen years which nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumors, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns
Then you will find - it's your own affair
But.....you've given your heart to a dog to tear.
When the body that lived at your single will
When the whimper of welcome is stilled (how still!)
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone - wherever it goes - for good,
You will discover how much you care
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.
We've sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given but only lent
At compounded interest of cent for cent.
Though it is not always the case I believe,
That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve:
For when a debt's payable, right or wrong
A short time loan is as bad as a long -
So why in - Heavens (before we are there),
Should we give our hearts to a dog "to tear."
Rudyard Kipling

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The Power of the Dog There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day; But when we are certain of sorrow in store Why do we always arrange for more? Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear Buy a pup and your money will buy Love unflinching that cannot lie- Perfect possession and worship fed By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head Nevertheless it is hardly fair To risk your heart for a dog to tear. When the fourteen years which nature permits Are closing in asthma, or tumors, or fits, And the vet's unspoken prescription runs To lethal chambers or loaded guns Then you will find - it's your own affair But.....you've given your heart to a dog to tear. When the body that lived at your single will When the whimper of welcome is stilled (how still!) When the spirit that answered your every mood Is gone - wherever it goes - for good, You will discover how much you care And will give your heart to a dog to tear. We've sorrow enough in the natural way, When it comes to burying Christian clay. Our loves are not given but only lent At compounded interest of cent for cent. Though it is not always the case I believe, That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve: For when a debt's payable, right or wrong A short time loan is as bad as a long - So why in - Heavens (before we are there), Should we give our hearts to a dog "to tear." Rudyard Kipling