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On the Road to Mandalay II Let Rudyard Kipling guard us to Mandalay before your arrival...hope not all that's shove be'ind ...one century in a flash... Mandalay Rudyard Kipling --Published in 1892-- By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea, There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me; For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say; "Come you back, you British Soldier; come you back to Mandalay!" Come you back to Mandalay, Where the old Flotilla lay; Can't you 'ear their paddles clunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay? On the road to Mandalay, Where the flyin'-fishes play, An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay! 'Er petticoat was yaller an' 'er little cap was green, An' 'er name was Supi-Yaw-Lat jes' the same as Theebaw's Queen, An' I seed her first a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot, An' wastin' Christian kisses on an 'eathen idol's foot: Bloomin' idol made o' mud-- Wot they called the Great Gawd Budd-- Plucky lot she cared for idols when I kissed 'er where she stud! On the road to Mandalay ... When the mist was on the rice-fields an' the sun was droppin' slow, She'd git 'er little banjo an' she'd sing "Kulla-la-lo!" With 'er arm upon my shoulder an' 'er cheek again my cheek We useter watch the steamers an' the hathis pilin' teak. Elephants a-piling teak In the sludgy, squdgy creek, Where the silence 'ung that 'eavy you was 'arf afraid to speak! On the road to Mandalay ... But that's all shove be'ind me -- long ago and fur away, An' there ain't no 'buses runnin' from the Bank to Mandalay; An' I'm learnin' 'ere in London what the ten-year soldier tells: "If you've 'eard the East a-callin', you won't never 'eed naught else." No! you won't 'eed nothin' else But them spicy garlic smells, An' the sunshine an' the palm-trees an' the tinkly temple-bells; On the road to Mandalay ... I am sick 'o wastin' leather on these gritty pavin'-stones, An' the blasted English drizzle wakes the fever in my bones; Tho' I walks with fifty 'ousemaids outer Chelsea to the Strand, An' they talks a lot o' lovin', but wot do they understand? Beefy face an' grubby 'and-- Law! wot do they understand? I've a neater, sweeter maiden in a cleaner, greener land! On the road to Mandalay . . . Ship me somewheres east of Suez, where the best is like the worst, Where there ain't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst; For the temple-bells are callin', and it's there that I would be-- By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea; On the road to Mandalay, Where the old Flotilla lay, With our sick beneath the awnings when we went to Mandalay! On the road to Mandalay, Where the flyin'-fishes play, An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay! 
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1/6/2007 5:44 am |
Like Shakespeare the poem has to be enjoyed for its lyricism, not its historical or geographical accuracy. Kipling was in Rangoon, not Moulmein, as he watched the dawn come up like thunder outer China (er, more like Thailand and Cambodia first) 'crost the Bay! I loved Burma, though not as much as Laos. Will return to both some time to explore them in depth: There's a Laotian boy a-dreamin', waitin' a sweet lovin' from me...
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MOLD, Very glad to get your resonance on this poem. I like it very much and will spread my recital to him travelling in Burma, on the road to Mandalay. Mandalay is indeed a pop cultural reference. Perhaps we are too young to know it.  I haven't been to Burma and Laos. But I am travelling thru them in another pair of loving eyes...Seems you spread your love everywhere you go - ever beautiful Burmese boys in skirts that look deep into your eyes? Why not publish some travellog?
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Any chances to explore Burma and Laos with you? I may go next summer/autumn. For sure I'll have charming guide(s), if count you in, I have more...
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Kipling's can't. It must be spoken. SFB, Thanks for pointing out this. I've read this poem for several times. Now time to speak it out louder. True. He uses spoken language skillfully, which leaves us feel 'real life' is there in the poem's conversation.
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I am poor in English literature, before encountering Kipling, I thought this kind of conversational verses only existed in modern song lyrics. But he did it 100 years ago in poetry. Amazing to me. "Come you back, you British Soldier; come you back to Mandalay!" Is it politically not correct? Joking.
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1/10/2007 4:03 am |
Dear swallowtsui, Burma is the estuary effluence of two distinct nations India and China. Its denizens have a wide range of muddied washed out looks from vaguely Tibeto-Burman (but much less handsome than Tibetans) to diluted Bangladeshi. Not really my cup of tea. But Burmese people are indeed shy yet so warm, sincere, sweet, hospitable and when they are sure no one else is listening in, can be very vocal. In Singapore, I go to a shopping centre for its two floors of everything Burmese, foodstuffs, magazines, pop music, travel agents, all in Burmese 'bubble' script, and hole-in-the-wall stalls and canteens that sell authentic food run by Burmese speakers. The place even smells like Burma. And my temple of choice I go to here is a Burmese one. Lao men can be stunningly handsome, even if a bit small in stature. Laos gets my thumbs up in terms of the ethereal beauty of the place, its glittering temples, Buddhas in the calling for rain mudra, and, ohhhhhh, the men, the men... I will be in Bali in March, Krabi in October (grabbed cheap tix last month), possibly Sulawesi in summer which I missed the last time, and Laos and Cambodia again in December. Since I am a bit of a photography nerd, I travel alone when it's that kind of trip, in the dry seasons when the light is better. I answer to no one, I get up at all hours to catch the dawn and while away the evenings with locals who more often than not are curious and happily adopt a lone female foreigner. Even travelling with one other person is one too many, opportunities missed or easily passed up because you're content in ready made company. Summer/early autumn is the wet season in Indochina.
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So, Mold, you turn me down, after an enraptured description of men, men, indochina men... But ever think of an ensemble of two female (optimistically charming and a bit crazy) foreigners that would energize up the already hot air there? I wonder how rich a woman you are, having so much time for self-satisfaction thru travelling, photographing alone. I can afford that only if I quit my routine life here and have a long vacation for half to one year. But all that I know I must go to Laos, then Burma. More than one unique friend praise it, it must be really attractive, the ppl and all the things there. Is it the Krabi in Thailand? How do you feel abt Indonesia? Now Air Asia is offering free tickets to all niche S.E. Asian destinations for next summer/autumn. But how can I know of my future plan right now? I envy you...yet I know I will be on the road next autumn, alone or w/ a company, whatever...
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1/11/2007 4:35 pm |
Didn't you know wolves hunt alone?  Semi-seriously speaking, Krabi is just for snorkelling during my little girl's half term break. Yes, on the Andaman coast near-ish Phuket island. Well, when you've been a Mom, you vehemently defend any time alone. I'm self employed and work from home, my hols are mostly dictated by the school terms. Not rich (yet), but frugal. My own trips have been no longer than 10 days at any one time - I just get tremendous emotional mileage out of them for years afterwards. I love Indonesia, the little I've seen of it. It's a vast and diverse archipelago. It's a very 'yin' energy and accepting place, like much of SE Asia and even more. My last trip to Bali, for instance, was in 2003. This was before I started practicing energy healing. I felt time was liquid there and in certain spots of the island I knew I was in another dimension as if looking through waves of water back into ours. I think I met a frog spirit there, a funny looking old man with yellow eyes, a shrill sing-song voice and a bow legged awkward gait. He reminded me of Toad in the Wind in the Willows. Since I'm beginning to sense, sometime see entities and presences now, man, that is one place that will be kick-a$$ to see in a whole new light.
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B]Mold, Loner woof hunts alone. I saw many hardcore divers in Koh Tao, those care-free young guys and gals. Never tried snorkelling as i am contented at seeing the surface of the ocean. No need to look deep into everything so that we still have hopes and expectations. Like nudity very much, and the feelings of hanging around on motorbike in bikini. A sleep in sun and sea breeze can make me drunk and happy. Self employment means more self discipline, no? I was suggested to have my own child single-handedly but i didnt buy this idea. Not to mention Sacrifice, how can I guarantee her/his happiness? Nevertheless, i always envy women having child, the companionship and grow-together. Cheers to your girl and you! Why tropical islands are yin? Quite dont understand. Energy healing? or healing thru yr own engergy? Not only will you see frog spirit but many others if you open yr eyes/minds on the road. Keep rolling, energetic stone.
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Whitesummit, Unlike mold the lone woof, you seem always like to have a compnay. How if your company wants you to decode for her?
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1/14/2007 7:04 pm |
Swallowtsui, Yes, I can see you're a beautiful free spirit. I don’t have the same relaxed derring-do that runs like a glimmering vein through your personality and life. I haven't tried swimming naked in the open sea. I still have a childhood terror thanks to Spielberg's Jaws. Also a mild terror of my own body badly ravaged by pregnancy and breastfeeding. I wonder what kind of mother you'd make… I don’t think it’s anyone else’s right to judge how “good” one is as a parent. Unless the child is being abused. Most people do their utmost best. When I say I sometimes see entities in the previous comment, I'm not talking about physical ones... What do you mean by seeing "many others"? I have a diving license acquired during my time in Israel that I haven't used since. I conquered the fear enough to pass my test but if given a choice I’d rather not dive. So, I haven’t. Snorkelling is fun; you see bright flashing fishies as if you're floating in your own aquarium. I'm still more a terresterial... or extra-terresterial. I didn't become a mother by choice. Was irresponsible like that. The Universe, however, had other designs for me, probably the least maternal person in the world. Even before I began to study about reincarnation relatively recently I just always knew she had chosen to be born to me. Yin because they have an easy come, easy go, laidback non-material lifestyle. And the lower chakras of these people are not as active as the higher chakras. I practice energy healing, a bit like qigong for healing. Except I don't tap my own neiqi but the Universal Source. That's my job and people come to me for healing. They lie on my massage table and I run my hands over (above) them, not physically touching them. People have reported hearing voices, music, mild OBEs (out of body experiences), communications, visual visitations by their own spirit guides during sessions, other visions. I also do a number of other spiritual initiations that might be loosely described as New Age. The body has seven major physical chakras or energy vortices that as a sensitive one can pick up as sensations on one's palms or see with the physical eyes as actual colours. The lower chakras are red and orange and are to do with the organs of those areas as well as the physical and material drives. Look at Hindu yoga charts of the body, these are not merely symbols but they exist because they can be felt and seen.
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