The Supports (Song Of The Avaiting Seraphs)

By Rudyard Kipling

Lyric Poem
    !Full Chorus.     To Him Who bade the Heavens abide, yet cease not from their motion,     To Him Who tames the moonstruck tide twice a day round Ocean,     Let His Names be magnified in all poor folks devotion!     Powers and Gifts.     Not for Prophecies or Powers, Visions, Gifts, or Graces,     But the unregardful hours that grind us in our places     With the burden on our backs, the weather in our faces.     Toils.     Not for any Miracle of easy Loaves and Fishes,     But for doing, gainst our will, work against our wishes,     Such as finding food to fill daily-emptied dishes.     Glories.     Not for Voices, Harps or Wings or rapt illumination,     But the grosser Self that springs of use and occupation,     Unto which the Spirit clings as her last salvation.     Powers, Glories, Toils, and Gifts.     (He Who launched our Ship of Fools many anchors gave us,     Lest one gale should start them all, one collision stave us.     Praise Him for the petty creeds     That prescribe in paltry needs     Solemn rites to trivial deeds and, by small things, save us!)     Services and Loves.     Heart may fail, and Strength outwear, and Purpose turn to Loathing,     But the everyday affair of business, meals, and clothing,     Builds a bulkhead twixt Despair and the Edge of Nothing.     Patiences.     (Praise Him, then, Who orders it that, though Earth be flaring     And the crazy skies are lit     By the searchlights of the Pit,     Man should not depart a whit from his wonted bearing.     Hopes.     He Who bids the wild-swans host still maintain their flight on     Air-roads over islands lost,     Ages since neath Ocean lost,     Beaches of some sunken coast their fathers would alight on,     Faiths.     He shall guide us through this dark, not by new-blown glories,     But by every ancient mark our fathers used before us,     Till our children ground their ark where the proper shore is.     Services, Patiences, Faiths, Hopes, and Loves.     He Who used the clay that clings on our boots to make us,     Shall not suffer earthly things to remove or shake us:     But, when Man denies His Lord,     Habit without Fleet or Sword     (Custom without threat or word)     Sees the ancient fanes restored, the timeless rites oertake us.     Full Chorus.     For He Who makes the Mountains smoke and rives the Hills asunder,     And, to-morrow, leads the grass,     Mere unconquerable grass,     Where the fuming crater was, to heal and hide it under,     He shall not, He shall not,     Shall not lay on us the yoke of too long Fear and Wonder!

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Poem Details

Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Analysis & Notes:
Rudyard Kipling’s "The Supports (Song of the Awaiting Seraphs)" is a Philosophical and Devotional Lyric Poem, constructed as a choral hymn that blends praise, humility, and profound reflections on endurance. The central theme is that salvation, survival, and divine favor are found not through miracles, prophecies, or grand spiritual manifestations, but through the persistence of small, everyday duties and ordinary human steadfastness. Kipling exalts the overlooked realities of human life—daily toil, mundane service, patient endurance—as the true "supports" that sustain humanity even in chaos and catastrophe. Instead of glorifying sudden revelations or apocalyptic signs, the poem honors the quiet continuities: labor, habit, custom, and the small acts that bridge despair.

The tone is reverent yet deeply grounded, rich with humility and almost liturgical in its structure. Each stanza focuses on a different aspect of ordinary life—Powers and Gifts, Toils, Glories, Patiences, Hopes, Faiths—and systematically disavows the glamorous expectations of divine intervention. Kipling’s language is vivid yet homely, turning the “clay that clings on our boots” into a sacred image of human rootedness. The rhythmic invocation of praise and the repeated appeals to "He Who" structure the poem like a sacred canticle or psalm, reinforcing the sense of ritual endurance. Imagery such as "the everyday affair of business, meals, and clothing" and the "unconquerable grass" that grows over a volcanic crater illustrate the strength found in life's persistence rather than in its drama.

Structurally, the poem uses a cumulative effect: beginning with the rejection of traditional "miraculous" signs of divine favor and building toward a resounding affirmation of faith in the ordinary. The Full Chorus bookends the poem, giving it a ceremonial grandeur that contrasts with the humble deeds it praises. Historically, this work reflects Kipling's broader post-imperial concerns with endurance in a disordered world; the chaos of war, political upheaval, and spiritual disillusionment do not, in his view, erase the saving power of continuity, labor, and loyalty to ancestral ways.

Ultimately, "The Supports" is a deeply philosophical hymn to the unnoticed scaffolding of human resilience. Kipling suggests that what preserves humanity is not shock or spectacle, but the simple, steadfast repetition of life’s daily tasks—quiet acts that connect past, present, and future through faith, habit, and love.

Exploring Lyric Poetry

Lyric poetry is a powerful and intimate form of expression, characterized by its focus on the personal emotions and thoughts of the poet. Often musical in nature, lyric poems resonate with readers through their vivid language and rhythmic flow, capturing moments of intense feeling.

Here are some key characteristics that define lyric poetry:

  • Expressive Language: Lyric poems use rich and evocative language to convey deep emotions, often painting a vivid picture of the poet's inner world.
  • Personal Perspective: Typically written in the first person, these poems offer a window into the poet's personal experiences, thoughts, and reflections.
  • Musicality: Lyric poems often feature a rhythmic structure, with meter and rhyme that give them a song-like quality, enhancing the emotional impact.

From ancient odes to contemporary free verse, lyric poetry remains a beloved and enduring form, celebrated for its ability to articulate the nuances of human emotion in a way that resonates deeply with readers.