THE MOTHER-LODGE
By Rudyard Kipling (b. 1865, d. 1936)
There was Rundle, Station Master,
An’ Beazeley of the Rail,
An’ ‘Ackman, Commissariat,
An’ Donkin o’ the jail;
An’ Blake, Conductor-Sergeant,
Our Master twice was ‘e,
With ‘im that kept the Europe-shop,
Old Framjee Eduljee.
Outside-“Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!”
Inside-“Brother,” an’ it doesn't do no ‘arm.
We met upon the Level an’ we parted on the Square,
An’ I was junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!
We'd Bola Nath, Accountant,
An’ Saul the Aden Jew,
An’ Din Mohammed, draughtsman
Of the Survey Office too;
There was Babu Chuckerbutty,
An’ Amir Singh the Sikh,
An’ Castro from the fittin'-sheds,
The Roman Catholick!
We ‘adn’t good regalia,
An’ our Lodge was old an’ bare,
But we knew the Ancient Landmarks,
An’ we kep’ ‘em to a hair;
An’ lookin’ on it backwards
It often strikes me thus,
There ain't such things as infidels,
Excep', per'aps, it's us.
For monthly, after Labour,
We'd all sit down and smoke
(We dursn't give no banquets,
Lest a Brother's caste were broke),
An’ man on man got talkin'
Religion an’ the rest,
An’ every man comparin'
Of the God ‘e knew the best.
:
Masonic Poetry
Ever since the very early days of Masonry our Brothers have written poetry related to our craft. Some of this prose is very beautifully written and continues to be enjoyed.
There are a large number of Masonic Web Sites featuring masonic poetry, prose and other writings. The importance of Masonic poetry is evident from the definition of poetry as found in Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. It is defined as "The art or work of poets; the embodiment in appropriate language of beautiful or rhythmical, usually metrical, and adapted to arouse the feelings and imagination".
One of the most important pieces of Masonic writing is the Regius Poem written in 1390. You can see a modernized version of this poem on this site at REGIUS POEM , along with background information.
One of the favorites of some members of Tucson #4 is Rudyard Kipling's "The Mother Lodge." This poem was especially liked by our departed Brother, Ray White, who recommended having it on this web site to your web site editor. Here it is in Ray's memory:
So man on man got talkin’,
An’ not a Brother stirred
Till mornin’ waked the parrots
An’ that dam’ brain-fever-bird;
We’d say ‘twas ‘ighly curious,
An’ we’d all ride ‘ome to bed,
With Mo’ammed, God, an’ Shiva
Changin’ pickets in our ‘ead.
Full oft on Guv'ment service
This rovin’ foot ‘ath pressed,
An’ bore fraternal greetin's
To the Lodges east an’ west,
Accordin’ as commanded,
From Kohat to Singapore,
But I wish that I might see them
In my Mother-Lodge once more!
I wish that I might see them,
My Brethren black an’ brown,
With the trichies smellin’ pleasant
An’ the hog-darn1 passin’ down;
An’ the old khansamah2 snorin'
On the bottle-khana3 floor,
Like a Master in good standing
With my Mother-Lodge once more.
Outside-“Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!”
Inside-“Brother,” an’ it doesn't do no ‘arm.
We met upon the Level an’ we parted on the Square,
An’ I was junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!
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Reference:
Rudyard Kipling’s Verse: Definitive Edition (1940; Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., Inc.), pp. 442 – 444.
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1 Cigar-lighter
2 Butler
3 Pantry
