Day 18: Song Of The Men's Side
Song Information
Recorded on the second album of Kipling settings Merlin's Isle of Gramarye on Argo Records, the original recording included Bellamy playing that most difficult of instruments: the flints.
The original poem comes from Rewards and Fairies which is the sequel to Puck of Pook's Hill, and accompanies the story The Knife and the Naked Chalk which tells the story of a flint-worker from Sussex going to collect magical knives to defend against wolves - the fear of the wolves causes the protagonist to use nicknames (Shepherd-of-the-Twilight
, Feet-in-the-Night
Dog-without-a-Master
, Devil-in-the-Dusk
) for the wolf, in case saying the real name summons it.
“The Men's Side” in this instance is “The Men's Side” of the Neolithic tribe that Kipling is writing about, based on anthropological observations of aboriginal peoples. The notes on The Kipling Society suggest that Kipling was very wrong to suggest that the societies were segregated based on gender:
He wrote various poems about early peoples, and it seems likely that he relied more on his imagination than contemporary science, with perhaps a touch of Norse legend.
Philip Holberton, The Kipling Society
My reading of that sentence is someone quite politely saying “Kipling was talking absolute nonsense here”.
The poem (and the story itself) intentionally draws on the story of the binding of the wolf Fenrir from Norse Mythology. If you're unfamiliar, the Norse Gods grew fearful of Fenrir (in their defence, he does grow to be very large) and try to bind him with a magical chain. Fenrir is distrustful and says “You can put that chain on me, but as a show of faith one of you must put your hand in my mouth so that I know that this is not a trick”. Tyr volunteers, and since it is a trick loses his hand.
Listen to the Song
Lyrics
Once we feared The Beast—when he followed us we ran,
Ran very fast though we knew
It was not right that The Beast should master Man;
But what could we Flint-workers do?
The Beast only grinned at our spears round his ears—
Grinned at the hammers that we made;
But now we will hunt him for the life with the Knife—
And this is the Buyer of the Blade!
Room for his shadow on the grass—let it pass!
To left and right—stand clear!
This is the Buyer of the Blade—be afraid!
This is the great God Tyr!
Tyr thought hard till he hammered out a plan,
For he knew it was not right
(And it is not right) that The Beast should master Man;
So he went to the Children of the Night.
He begged a Magic Knife of their make for our sake.
When he begged for the Knife they said:
’The price of the Knife you would buy is an eye!’
And that was the price he paid.
Tell it to the Barrows of the Dead—run ahead!
Shout it so the Women’s Side can hear!
This is the Buyer of the Blade—be afraid!
This is the great God Tyr!
Our women and our little ones may walk on the Chalk,
As far as we can see them and beyond.
We shall not be anxious for our sheep when we keep
Tally at the shearing-pond.
We can eat with both our elbows on our knees, if we please,
We can sleep after meals in the sun;
For Shepherd-of-the-Twilight is dismayed at the Blade,
And Feet-in-the-Night have run!
Dog-without-a-Master goes away (Hai, Tyr aie!),
Devil-in-the-Dusk has run!
Room for his shadow on the grass—let it pass!
To left and right—stand clear!
This is the Buyer of the Blade—be afraid!
This is the great God Tyr!