Author: Rudyard Kipling

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A fool there was and he made his prayer
(Even as you and I!)
To a rag and a bone and a hank of hair
(We called her the woman who did not care),
But the fool he called her his lady fair
(Even as you and I!)

Oh the years we waste and the tears we waste
And the work of our head and hand,
Belong to the woman who did not know
(And now we know that she never could know)
And did not understand.

A fool there was and his goods he spent
(Even as you and I!)
Honor and faith and a sure intent
But a fool must follow his natural bent
(And it wasn't the least what the lady meant),
(Even as you and I!)

Oh the toil we lost and the spoil we lost
And the excellent things we planned,
Belong to the woman who didn't know why
(And now we know she never knew why)
And did not understand.

The fool we stripped to his foolish hide
(Even as you and I!)
Which she might have seen when she threw him aside,
(But it isn't on record the lady tried)
So some of him lived but the most of him died,
(Even as you and I!)

And it isn't the shame and it isn't the blame
That stings like a white hot brand.
It's coming to know that she never knew why
(Seeing at last she could never know why)
And never could understand.

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Type of Poem: Ballad

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: Rudyard Kipling’s "The Vampire" is a Narrative Lyric Poem with strong Ballad characteristics and clear elements of Moral Allegory. The poem tells a cautionary story about a man — "the fool" — who wastes his life, efforts, and dreams pursuing an unworthy woman, metaphorically described as "a rag and a bone and a hank of hair." The central theme revolves around disillusionment, self-deception, and the devastating realization that devotion was lavished on someone incapable of understanding or reciprocating it. The woman herself is portrayed less as malicious and more as simply indifferent—uncomprehending and emotionally unreachable—which makes the fool’s downfall all the more tragic.

The tone is bitter, mournful, and self-aware, mixing rueful humor with deep sadness. Kipling’s frequent use of the refrain "Even as you and I!" universalizes the experience, suggesting that folly in love is not unique to the poem’s character but is a shared human vulnerability. The repetition and singsong rhythm evoke the style of a traditional ballad, lending the poem a fable-like or folk-tale quality, while also emphasizing the cyclical, almost inevitable nature of such emotional mistakes. The imagery is stark and unsparing—the fool is "stripped to his foolish hide," much of him metaphorically dead by the end—capturing the emotional and spiritual devastation wrought by misplaced love.

Structurally, the poem uses a refrain after almost every major point, reinforcing the moral lesson and linking each stanza back to the idea that such folly is a common human weakness. The poem does not accuse the woman of deliberate cruelty; rather, the true sting is the final realization that she simply "never could understand." This lack of malice on her part deepens the tragedy: the fool was destroyed not by evil, but by emotional blindness. Historically, "The Vampire" reflects late Victorian anxieties about female independence, changing gender roles, and the dangers of romantic idealization. Yet at its heart, the poem remains a timeless meditation on disillusionment, misplaced devotion, and the painful awakening to reality.