The Song that Men Should Sing - Kenneth Mackay - TAKE 1

The Song that Men Should Sing is more of a war poem with Australian Aborigines in context. Written by Kenneth Mackay, who served in the Boer war, understands the plight of the Aborigines, not only in Australia but also in South Africa. This led him to write literature on the Aboriginals and promote the culture of the aboriginals to the world while bringing our attention to the harms done to their society and culture.

The cohorts who fought when the world was young
have their blood-red legends told,
for a hundred poets have bravely sung
the deeds of the days of old. 

First Stanza: This stanza talks about all the battles that have taken place in the past and all the stories related to them. Glorifying war and ‘blood-red legends’ is one of the main aims of the poem as you might have thought. These stories or poems about wars have been narrated by hundreds of poets not necessarily in one timeframe but over a long period of time.

The story is writ of the men who fell
in desert and sun-scorched track:
The legions who served their country well -
The heroes who marched 'Out Back’.

Second Stanza: The second stanza tells us who these men exactly are. Desert, out back… sounds like Australia. Aborigines. Australia is also called Down Under referring to where it is located on the World Map.

But they tell us now, in their lifeless lays,
these knights of the stool and pen,
we must boast no more of the stirring days
when they fought and fell like men...

Third Stanza: The poet admires the Aboriginals in this stanza for not giving up and fighting for their freedom, ’...Fought and fell like men.’ They are called the knights of stool and pen as they fought with shields and swords, and also forced the poets to take up their pens and pull their stools(to sit on) to write about their glory out of respect.

But the tale is best that has oft been told
if it love of birthland brings;
and the song they sang in days of old
is the song that I will sing... 

Fourth Stanza: The poet says that if a tale is told often, it is okay only if it brings love to the birth land. The story of Australia which is brought up a lot including the massacre and the imprisonment of criminals by the British onto this island is what is referenced here.

We won the land from a nerveless race,
Too mean for their land to fight;
If we mean to hold it we too must face
the adage that 'might is right'.

Fifth Stanza: The British easily captured the Australian territory and massacred the population over there, in the name of ‘might is right’.

It matters nothing what dreamers say,
when they prate that wars must cease,
for the lustful war-god holds his sway
in these piping days of peace... 

Sixth Stanza: The poet says that war is something that will go on forever. If people ask for peace and would want war to cease, they can only hope for the war to come back again. Even if there is peace in this world, it can never be considered as true peace as there is always a certain kind of conflict happening in the smaller parts of the society which in turn takes a turn for the worse growing into a conflict. Peace is only an illusion and the illusion of peace shines in front of our eyes mostly when war is closer than ever.

So our lads must learn there's a sterner task
than playing a well-pitched ball;
that the land we love may someday ask
for a team when the trumpets call.

Seventh Stanza: The poet tells the next generations to teach the children more than playing on the field and competing properly. As sports have become the ground to settle disputes among countries as to who is better, it can also be seen as a battleground where bloodshed is prohibited. In time, when humans would need to protect their territories, and everyone should be ready when the time comes.

A team that is ready to take the field
to bowling with balls of lead,
in a test match grim, where if one appealed,
the umpire might answer 'dead'!

Eighth Stanza:  According to the poet the youth should be ready for battle as war needs no reason to erupt. Balls of lead refer to he Cannister Guns which they used back in the day for shooting lead bullets. The game of war, as the poet has put into context is a very revolting idea to the whole idea of peacekeeping and peace itself.


The concept of War and Peace has caused a ton of debates over the last century. War being an integral part of human conflict can never be stopped as there is someone or the other, out there that a majority of humans would fight against, to get their point of view in picture. Defining peace and the concept of peace is very important at this point as no one really knows what world peace is. World Peace is the idea of planetary non-violence. As far as I know, humans are the most non-peaceful mammals ever. Peace would only bring death to all humans, then I guess, the death of all humans might bring peace as well. When we talk of peace we always talk of what is right and what is wrong, but the whole idea of peace narrates the non-sensitization of humans to other views, hence the modern idea of peace is a bit revolting to the main concept of peace itself. Peace is a long way ahead for us humans. Under the veil of glory and war, we must realize that  war might erupt out of nowhere and put nations in conflict. To the everyday man, who lived in the 1900s might have had no idea about the war. He might have been flabbergasted to find out that there is a war happening between countries, and for what reason, well he does not know, he is busy thinking about his future. But what the future brings may be just as unreasonalble and scary as it can be set. Hence, the poet tells us to be ready for war in case there is one.

For a different view on the same poem go here.

Lol. Peace.