BUT HOW YOU PLAYED THE GAME (WITH NOTES)

"Literature is you know, good stuff yeah?!? Hey."

This pursuant a quote that came to mind earlier (which by now you may have seen elsewhere).


The quote is not from Kipling, but from William Ernest Henley (1849 - 1903).

"When that one great scorer comes, to mark against your name,
It matters not who won, or lost, but how you played the game."


I am not overly familiar with obscure English poets (obscure Dutch poets yes), nor for that matter good with quotes. I remembered the Henley quote from a recording of Beyond The Fringe, which was a British comedy show from the early sixties, specifically from a very Church-of-England-ish inspirational sermon ('Take a Pew') by Alan Bennet. I reproduce it below - read it with a middle-aged Oxbridge accent.


TAKE A PEW


"First verse of the 14th chapter of the Second Book of Kings (1): "And he said, ‘But my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am a smooth man.’ And he said, ‘But my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I...., am a smooth man.’"

Perhaps, I might say the same thing in a different way by quoting you those words of that grand old poet, W.E. Henley (2), who said: "When that one great scorer (3) comes to mark against your name, it matters not who won or lost, but how you played the game...., but how you played the game …." Words, very meaningful and significant for us here together tonight. Words we might do very much worse than to consider (4). And I use this word consider advisedly (5), because I’m using it, you see, in its original Greek sense of con-sider (6), of putting oneself in the way of thinking about … to put ourselves in the way of thinking about, what we OUGHT to be putting ourselves in the way of thinking about!

As I was on my way here tonight, I arrived at the station, and by an oversight (7) I happened to go out by the way one is supposed (8) to come in. And as I was going out, an employee of the railway company hailed (9) me: "Hey, Jack (10)", he shouted, "where do you think you're going?" That, at any rate, was the gist (11) of what he said. But, you know, I was grateful to him. Because, you see, he put me in mind of the kind of question I felt I ought to be asking you here tonight: "Where do you think you are going?"

Very many years ago, when I was as old as some of you are now, I went mountain climbing in Scotland (12) with a friend of mine, and there was this mountain, you see, and we decided to climb it. And so, early one morning, we arose and began to climb. All day we climbed. Up and up, higher and higher, and higher. Until the valley lay very small below us, and the mists of the evening began to come down and the sun to set. And when we reached the summit we sat down to watch this magnificent sight of the sun going down behind the mountains. And, as we watched, my friend very suddenly, and violently, vomited (13)!

Some of us think life’s a bit like that, don’t we?


But it isn’t. Life, you know, is rather like opening a tin (14) of sardines (15). We are all of us looking for the key.
And, I wonder, how many of you here tonight have wasted years of your lives looking behind the kitchen dressers (16) of this life for that key?
I know I have.

Others think they’ve found that key, don’t they? They roll back the lid of the sardine tin of life, they reveal the sardines, the riches of life, therein (17), and they get them out, they enjoy them.
But, you know, there’s always a little bit in the corner you can’t get out.

I wonder, is there a little bit in the corner of your life?

I know there is in mine.


And so now, as I draw to a close, I want you, when you go out into the world, in times of trouble, and sorrow, and hopelessness, and despair, amid the hurly-burly (18) of modern life, if ever you’re tempted to say "Stuff this for a lark (19)" - I want you, at such times, to cast your minds back (20) to the words of my first text to you tonight: "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am a smooth man." "

It's kinda like talking to Ronald Reagan near the end, isn't it?

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NOTES:

1. Not from 14th chapter of the Second Book of Kings, but from chapter 27 of Genesis (Bereishis).
2. William Ernest Henley (1839 – 1903), English poet, critic, essayist, and editor.
3. Scorer: the person who counts the goals scored in a game or competition.
4. we might do very much worse than = Wij zouden toch slechter kunnen doen dan.
5. Advisedly = After due consideration, met doordachte rede.
6. Consider = Not Greek, but Latin 'considerare', overdenken, overwegen.
7. Oversight = By mistake; per abuis, per lakuun.
8. Supposed = Accepted as true or normative.
9. Hailed = Greeted, Attracted the attention of; to come from, to get from. Aanroepen.
10. Jack = Yakov. Yankif. Zoals men op z'n Brabants zou roepen 'hee Sjaakie!'.
11. Gist = From Old French: Cest action gist - 'this action lies'. In de algemene betekenis van.
12. Scotland = Place of origin for a large portion of the North-American population. Compare with Flanders.
13. Vomited = Kotzde, kokte: overgeven, kotzen, kokken, maaglozen, uitspuwen, braken.
14. Tin = A container of tinned metal. A can or cannister. Een blikken doosje, een blikje. In deze kontekst 'n ouderwetsche sardien-blikje deswelks men met een sleutel opent, daarmede de deksel terug vouwend.
15. Sardines = Pilchards. Sardinia pilchardus. A fish that swims in tins. Sardien.
16. Kitchen dressers = Aanrechten, keuken kasten.
17. Therein = Er in, daar in.
18. Hurly-burly = Gerons, getuimel, het heen en weer gedraaf.
19. Lark = In deze context, een vermakelijkheid of uitspatting. Als ware het een opluchting. Stuf this for a lark = Dit alles kan mij gestolen worden.
20. Cast your minds back = Letterlijk: 'Kaatst uwe geesten terug'. Zich aan iets herinneren. Aan iets terug denken. Iets herinneren.


Please note that the mention of sardines shows a positive attitude towards this comestible, which marks the speaker as an English person - 'Sardines on toast, isn't that a great thing?'
Sardines were considered a delicacy in the immediate post-war period, and the English have learned to utilize them in all their national dishes - sardine vindaloo, sardine tikka masala, deep-fried sardine fritter. One presumes. Not actually having tasted. Any one of these three. Ever. One has learned not to delve too deeply into English cooking. It isn't like Belgian food.