RUDYARD KIPLING

În "Something of Myself", Kipling scrie: "În anul 1885 am fost facut mason printr-o autorizatie oficiala (neîndeplinind criteriul de vârsta) în Loja Sperantei si Perseverentei nr.782, membrii lojii sperând ca voi deveni un bun Secretar. Nu am devenit secretar imediat, însa am ajutat la decorarea peretilor locului de întrunire conform prescriptiilor din Templul Masonic al lui Solomon. Aici am întâlnit musulmani, hindusi, seici, evrei. Si iata cum o noua lume se deschidea catre mine." Mai multe detalii aflam si dintr-o scrisoare a lui Kipling din perioada londoneza, datata 28 Martie, 1935: "Am fost secretar al Lojii Sperantei si Perseverentei nr.782, care includea Frati de patru credinte diferite. Eu am fost introdus în loja de un membru hindus, preluat de un mahomedan si ridicat de un englez."

Gasim reflectii pe marginea interesului fata de masonerie al lui Kipling în trei arii ale creatiei sale. Exista poezii strict masonice, dintre care Mother Lodge si Banquet Night sunt familiare tuturor masonilor, povestiri cu continut masonic - The Man Who Would Be King, Kim - precum si povestiri legate de Loja Sperantei si Perseverentei nr.782, cum ar fi In the Interest of Brethren, The Janeites , dar si lucrari în care sunt evidente aluziile la Masonerie. Kipling introduce, intr-un mod aparent accidental, aluzii masonice sugerate de ritualurile, terminologia si simbolurile cu care era obisnuit si care i se întiparisera în minte.

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

THE MOTHER LODGE

There was Rundle, Station Master,
An' Beazeley of the Rail,
An' Ackman, Commissariat,
An' Donkin' o' the Jail;
An' Blake, Conductor-Sargent,
Our Master twice was 'e,
With 'im that kept the Europe-shop,
Old Framjee Eduljee.

Outside - "Seargent ! Sir ! Salute ! Salaam !"
Inside - "Brother", an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was Junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!

We'd Bola Nath, Accountant,
An' Saul the Aden Jew,
An' Din Mohammed, draughtsman
Of the Survey Office too;
There was Babu Chuckerbutty,
An' Amir Singh the Sikh,
An' Castro from the fittin'-sheds,
The Roman Catholick!

We 'and't good regalia,
An' our Lodge was old an' bare,
But we knew the Ancient Landmarks,
An' we kep' 'em to a hair;
An' lookin' on it backwards
It often strikes me thus,
There ain't such things as infidels,
Excep', per'aps, it's us.

For monthly, after Labour,
We'd all sit down and smoke
(We dursn't give no banquits,
Lest a Brother's caste were broke).
An' man on man got talkin'
Religion an' the rest,
An' every man comparin'
Of the God 'e knew the best.

So man on man got talkin',
An' not a Brother stirred
Till mornin' waked the parrots
An' that dam' brain-fever-bird;
We'd say 'twas 'ighly curios,
An' we'd all ride 'ome to bed,
With Mo'ammed, God, an' Shiva
Changin' pickets in our 'ead.

Full oft on Guv'ment service
This rovin' foot 'ath pressed,
An' bore fraternal greetin's
To the Lodges east an' west,
Accordin' as commanded
From Kohat to Singapore,
But I wish that I might see them
In my Mother-Lodge once more!

I wish that I might see them,
My Brethren black an' brown,
With the trichies smellin' pleasant
An' the hog-darn passin' down; [Cigar-lighter.]
An' the old khansamah snorin' [Butler.]
On the bottle-khana floor, [Pantry.]
Like a Master in good standing
With my Mother-Lodge once more!

Outside - "Seargent ! Sir ! Salute ! Salaam !"
Inside - "Brother", an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was Junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!