In 1897 the British Empire celebrated the Diamond Jubilee, as it was
called, of Victoria's accession to the throne. She had been queen for
sixty years, and in that time the dominion of the flag of Britain had been
extended over lands which, at her coronation, were scarcely known except
by name. The celebration culminated in a splendid and stately ceremonial
which made London appear to be the capital city of the entire world. From
out all the length and breadth of the empire came princes, chiefs, nobles,
and statesmen of every race, all united under British rule, and vying with
each other in homage to their sovereign. So overwhelming were this display
and the significance of its splendor that it roused in many minds a
feeling of awe bordering almost upon apprehension. Was this greatness not
too great? Might it not breed that overweening pride of power which goes
before destruction?
This thought sank deep into the impressionable mind of Rudyard Kipling.
His genius sought to express in words the idea which came to him--the wish
to deprecate that divine disfavor which men have always feared as the
punishment of too great prosperity. It was the feeling which made the
Greeks and Romans dread the power of Nemesis, the jealousy of the gods.
Kipling wrote five stanzas which he entitled "Recessional."
The lines at once were cabled to all parts of the English-speaking world,
and they took their place with the classic poems of the English tongue.
"Recessional" is indeed a majestic and noble poem--a prayer in verse. Its
solemnity and religious fervor are Hebraic. Its mastery of phrase is
almost unrivaled. Through it there runs a tone of proud humility which
marks the English character, touched with haughtiness even in its
supplication. Such a phrase as that which speaks of the "lesser breeds
without the Law" contains even a touch of scorn which would be discordant
were it not so characteristic of the great conquering race of which to-day
Kipling himself has become the unofficial laureate. It is not extravagant
to say that no poem written in the last quarter of a century is so sure of
immortality.