The Verdicts
The Verdicts - meaning Summary
Heroism Seen from Distance
Kipling reflects on how wartime heroes are misunderstood when seen up close. Ordinary observers encounter veterans briefly and cannot judge their full worth amid war’s routine. True stature, he argues, will be recognized by future generations who can measure how these men altered history. The poem accepts present blindness and trusts that posterity will reveal the saviors’ real significance, portraying sacrifice as transformative for society.
Read Complete AnalysesNot in the thick of the fight, Not in the press of the odds, Do the heroes come to their height, Or we know the demi-gods. That stands over till peace. We can only perceive Men returned from the seas, Very grateful for leave. They grant us sudden days Snatched from their business of war; But we are too close to appraise What manner of men they are. And, whether their names go down With age-kept victories, Or whether they battle and drown Unreckoned, is hid from our eyes. They are too near to be great, But our children shall understand When and how our fate Was changed, and by whose hand. Our children shall measure their worth. We are content to be blind . . . But we know that we walk on a new-born earth With the saviours of mankind.
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