Fuzzy wuzzy kipling. by Rudyard Kipling read by Farnham Town Crier 2019-01-06
Fuzzy wuzzy kipling Rating:
9,3/10
618
reviews
'Fuzzy wuzzy'
GradeSaver, 28 April 2013 Web. Then 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' the missis and the kid; Our orders was to break you, an' of course we went an' did. So 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan; You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man; An' 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, with your 'ayrick 'ead of 'air - You big black boundin' beggar - for you broke a British square! The British force of some 1500 men formed a square round the large number of baggage camels and wounded that they were escorting, in order to break through and reach the wells. The bargain is fair now, because even if the Fuzzy-Wuzzies lost more men, they did take the square. Even though the papers said that they were evenly matched, Fuzzy had the advantage. However, the Liberal Government then had other concerns, so that was effectively the end of the Early Campaigns, which fizzled out in the sweltering Sudanese summer of 1885. That it might be broken was unthinkable.
A sudanese friend sent this to me today. It is certainly apparent that the speaker cannot praise the Fuzzy-Wuzzies without adding a layer of scorn and disgust. Â’E Â’s a daisy, Â’e Â’s a ducky, Â’e Â’s a lamb! His language is decidedly informal, the language of lively young soldiers. So 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an'your friends which are no more, If we 'adn't lost some messmates we would 'elp you to deplore; But give an'take's the gospel, an'we'll call the bargain fair, For if you 'ave lost more than us, you crumpled up the square! The Mahdist forces from the Beja and the Baggara tribal groups had considerable success against Egyptian troops in 1882 and 1883 until, in early 1884, the British Government was forced to send two British brigades, with cavalry and artillery, to the support of the Egyptian army. This term was used by 19th century British colonial soldiers for the members of an East African nomadic tribe - the Hadendoa. So 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan; You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man; An' 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, with your 'ayrick 'ead of 'air -- You big black boundin' beggar -- for you broke a British square! In fact, 'fuzzy-wuzzy' was commonplace enough for it to have been used in a children's playground tongue twister: Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't very fuzzy, was he? We never got a ha'porth's change of 'im: 'E squatted in the scrub an' 'ocked our 'orses, 'E cut our sentries up at Suakim, An' 'e played the cat an' banjo with our forces.
Fuzzy worked with their horses and played the banjo in his home in the Soudan. So ’ere ’s to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your ’ome in the Soudan; You ’re a pore benighted ’eathen but a first-class fightin’ man; An’ ’ere ’s to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, with your ’ayrick ’ead of ’air— You big black boundin’ beggar—for you broke a British square! The two tribes who opposed the Egyptians and British were the Baggara and the Beja. The term Fuzzy Wuzzy is purely of English origin and is not connected with Arabic. A derogatory term for a black person, especially one with fuzzy hair. We sloshed you with Martinis, an' it wasn't 'ardly fair; But for all the odds agin' you, Fuzzy-Wuz, you broke the square. So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan; You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man; We gives you your certificate, an' if you want it signed We'll come an' 'ave a romp with you whenever you're inclined. In the Sudan campaign of 1883—85, the square had proved successful but there were two occasions when such a square formation of British troops failed to maintain the all-round defence for which it was designed and, regardless of how the failure was caused, must be said to have been broken.
We never got a ha'porth's change of 'im: 'E squatted in the scrub an' 'ocked our 'orses, 'E cut our sentries up at Sua kim, An' 'e played the cat an' banjo with our forces. Yes Kipling was fair towards the brave Sudanese fighters of the Bejja Tribes in Eastern Sudan under the leadership of Othman Digna. This was because, from its use in the Napoleonic Wars as an infantry means of defence against cavalry, and especially in the repulse of repeated attacks by French cavalry at Waterloo, both the British army and its public saw the square as an almost legendary symbol of its supremacy. Fuzzy-Wuzzy Soudan Expeditionary Force We've fought with many men acrost the seas, An' some of 'em was brave an' some was not: The Paythan an' the Zulu an' Burmese; But the Fuzzy was the finest o' the lot. But give an' take's the gospel, an' we'll call the bargain fair, For if you 'ave lost more than us, you crumpled up the square! The first was at the Battle of Tamai, on 13 March 1884, and the second was on 17 January 1885 during the Battle of Abu Klea. Â’E Â’as nÂ’t got no papers of Â’is own, Â’E Â’as nÂ’t got no medals nor rewards, So we must certify the skill Â’e Â’s shown In usinÂ’ of Â’is long two-Â’anded swords: When Â’e Â’s Â’oppinÂ’ in anÂ’ out among the bush With Â’is coffin-Â’eaded shield anÂ’ shovel-spear, An Â’appy day with Fuzzy on the rush Will last an Â’ealthy Tommy for a year.
Is Kipling's poem 'Fuzzy Wuzzy' racist, or a panegyric?
We never got a haÂ’porthÂ’s change of Â’im: Â’E squatted in the scrub anÂ’ Â’ocked our Â’orses, Â’E cut our sentries up at Sua kim, AnÂ’ Â’e played the cat anÂ’ banjo with our forces. The language is certainly cringe-worthy. We sloshed you with Martinis, an' it wasn't 'ardly fair; But for all the odds agin' you, Fuzzy-Wuz, you broke the square. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he? This was an opinion that he had to revise when, as General Lord Wolseley, he took command of the British force sent to the relief of General Gordon in 1884. The expression derives from ' Fuzzy Wuzzy', one of Rudyard Kipling's Barrack Room Ballad poems, published in 1892. This is an example of British Lit at its best and this is not meant as a compliment.
So 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan; You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man; We gives you your certificate, an' if you want it signed We'll come an' 'ave a romp with you whenever you're inclined. Despite the check, the Mahdists re-attacked the left rear corner of the square just as it was opened to let out a Gardner wheeled machine gun, which immediately jammed. We sloshed you with Martinis, an' it wasn't 'ardly fair; But for all the odds agin' you, Fuzzy-Wuz, you broke the square. Command was given to Lord Wolseley, who moved this force south by gunboats up the twisting Nile, with a Desert Column taking a shorter but more difficult route over land. We took our chanst among the Kyber Â’ills, The Boers knocked us silly at a mile, The Burman give us Irriwaddy chills, AnÂ’ a Zulu impi dished us up in style: But all we ever got from such as they Was pop to what the Fuzzy made us swaller; We Â’eld our bloominÂ’ own, the papers say, But man for man the Fuzzy knocked us Â’oller. So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan; You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man; An' 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, with your 'ayrick 'ead of 'air -- You big black boundin' beggar -- for you broke a British square! Fuzzy wuzzy What's the meaning of the phrase 'Fuzzy wuzzy'? Then 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' the missis and the kid; Our orders was to break you, an' of course we went an' did. In the brief, desperate struggle of 15 minutes or so, the casualties to both sides were half as many again as at Tamai.
Heavy rifle fire from the other brigade square and the mounted escort came to the rescue and the surviving Mahdists were driven off. So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan; You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man; We gives you your certificate, an' if you want it signed We'll come an' 'ave a romp with you whenever you're inclined. So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan; You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man; We gives you your certificate, an' if you want it signed We'll come an' 'ave a romp with you whenever you're inclined. The poem is written in the voice of an unsophisticated British soldier and expresses admiration rather than contempt, although expressed in terms that sound patronizing and racist today. Fuzzy-wuzzy Soudan Expeditionary Force We've fought with many men acrost the seas, An' some of 'em was brave an' some was not: The Paythan an' the Zulu an' Burmese; But the Fuzzy was the finest o' the lot. There is, of course, a great deal of racism in this poem, which explains why it has fallen out of favor in modern times. The square was penetrated and fierce hand to hand fighting followed but eventually the attack lost momentum amongst the milling camels and transport in the centre, giving time for the flanking units to face inwards and support their comrades.
When the Fuzzy-Wuzzies are alive, they are hot sand and ginger, but when dead they are as helpless as a daisy or a ducky or a lamb. The poem's structure consists of four eight-line stanzas that speak to the Fuzzy-Wuzzies themselves, cheering them for their fighting prowess and the particular victory they had of taking the square in the Battle of Tamai. Â’E Â’s a injia-rubber idiot on the spree, Â’E Â’s the onÂ’y thing that does nÂ’t give a damn For a Regiment oÂ’ British Infantree! Such a square could only survive where the enemy were without modern firearms. Mahdist dead on the field were estimated at over 1000. We took our chanst among the Khyber 'ills, The Boers knocked us silly at a mile, The Burman give us Irriwaddy chills, An' a Zulu impi dished us up in style: But all we ever got from such as they Was pop to what the Fuzzy made us swaller; We 'eld our bloomin' own, the papers say, But man for man the Fuzzy knocked us 'oller. We sloshed you with Martinis, an' it wasn't 'ardly fair; But for all the odds agin' you, Fuzzy-Wuz, you broke the square.
We never got a ha'porth's change of 'im: 'E squatted in the scrub an' 'ocked our 'orses, 'E cut our sentries up at Suakim, An' 'e played the cat an' banjo with our forces. Soudan Expeditionary Force We've fought with many men acrost the seas, An'some of 'em was brave an'some was not: The Paythan an'the Zulu an'Burmese; But the Fuzzy was the finest o'the lot. So 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' your friends which are no more, If we 'adn't lost some messmates we would 'elp you to deplore; But give an' take's the gospel, an' we'll call the bargain fair, For if you 'ave lost more than us, you crumpled up the square! We took our chanst among the Khyber 'ills, The Boers knocked us silly at a mile, The Burman give us Irriwaddy chills, An' a Zulu ~impi~ dished us up in style: But all we ever got from such as they Was pop to what the Fuzzy made us swaller; We 'eld our bloomin' own, the papers say, But man for man the Fuzzy knocked us 'oller. The speaker has a tone of cheerful admiration, perhaps underlain with a bit of bitterness that is barely detectable. Then 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' the missis and the kid; Our orders was to break you, an' of course we went an' did.
Twice during the conflict was the British square broken by the Beja warriors, and it is commonly assumed that this instance refers to the Battle of Tamai on March 13th, 1884. So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan; You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man; An' 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, with your 'ayrick 'ead of 'air -- You big black boundin' beggar -- for you broke a British square! So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan; You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man; An' 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, with your 'ayrick 'ead of 'air -- You big black boundin' beggar -- for you broke a British square! Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. In particular, he lauds their performance at the 1884 Battle of Tamai. The speaker notes how they rushed through the smoke, and, before they knew it, the Fuzzy-Wuzzies were attacking at their heads. Words are truncated or replaced with a deliberately misspelled version of the word. We took our chanst among the Khyber 'ills, The Boers knocked us silly at a mile, The Burman give us Irriwaddy chills, An' a Zulu impi dished us up in style: But all we ever got from such as they Was pop to what the Fuzzy made us swaller; We 'eld our bloomin' own, the papers say, But man for man the Fuzzy knocked us 'oller.
