Author: Rudyard Kipling

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At the eleventh hour he came,
But his wages were the same
As ours who all day long had trod
The wine-press of the Wrath of God.

When he shouldered through the lines
Of our cropped and mangled vines,
His unjaded eye could scan
How each hour had marked its man.

(Children of the morning-tide
With the hosts of noon had died,
And our noon contingents lay 
Dead with twilight's spent array.)

Since his back had felt no load ,
Virtue still in him abode;
So he swiftly made his own
Those last spoils we had not won.

We went home, delivered thence,
Grudging him no recompense
Till he portioned praise or blame
To our works before he came.

Till he showed us for our good,
Deaf to mirth, and blind to scorn,
How we might have best withstood 
Burdens that he had not born!

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Type of Poem: Meditative Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: Rudyard Kipling’s "The Vineyard" is a Meditative Poem with strong Allegorical and Religious undertones. It reflects on justice, reward, labor, and judgment, drawing clear inspiration from the Biblical parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16), where latecomers are rewarded equally with those who worked all day. The poem’s central theme concerns the tension between human perceptions of fairness and divine or moral judgment. Kipling presents the workers who have toiled all day—the “children of the morning-tide”—as weary, battered, and initially justified in their sacrifices, but who must ultimately confront the uncomfortable truth that virtue and clear vision can sometimes belong more to the outsider or latecomer.

The tone of the poem is somber, reflective, and tinged with an almost grudging respect. Through vivid imagery—the “cropped and mangled vines,” the "spent array" of soldiers or workers falling over the course of the day—Kipling evokes a sense of hard, exhausting labor under grim conditions. The newcomer’s "unjaded eye" contrasts with the exhausted veterans, and his ability to clearly assess what went wrong becomes both a blessing and a source of uncomfortable humility for the others. Kipling’s use of internal rhyme, concise stanzas, and a steady, almost mournful rhythm enhances the poem’s meditative quality.

Historically, Kipling often grappled with ideas of duty, merit, and divine justice, especially in the aftermath of imperial wars where outcomes did not always seem to match effort or sacrifice. Here, he seems to be exploring how human pride and suffering can blind people to their own shortcomings, and how judgment from an untouched outsider can feel both unfair and necessary. "The Vineyard" ultimately challenges readers to consider that the true measure of worth may not lie in how long one labors, but in the clarity, virtue, and effectiveness with which one acts. It is a somber, morally complex reflection on reward, endurance, and the humbling necessity of accepting judgment.