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Hello, Pigale!
Yes I understand you perfectly......you have put it very succinctly. and well
I am not fully convinced though, that Kipling's original poem, and the French "translation" are expressing exactly the same import?
I keep going from one to the other, comparing them...….
The translator expresses himself clearly, and I like the principles laid down, as I said before....but is it quite the same meaning as Kipling intended?
Of course, we have to bear in mind here that I am not bilingual like you, and my French is only second rate.

Hi Elle, I am on my way to bed just now, but tomorrow I shall
have another thorough look at both poems and will then be in
a better position to answer you - it is a fair number of years since
I read either, let alone compare them in any depth.....

so night night till tomorrow! Pillow calling me...

Good morning, Elle!
Weather is overcast but dry.
I am just home from cemetery.
The only other person there was a woman walking her dog.
My Dad was 76 when he died.
There are quite a few neglected graves in our cemetery.
People simply do not visit.
"Out of sight, out of mind?"
Next time I go, I'm taking a scrubbing brush.
The stone has a black growth of some kind dotted here and there.
Hopefully a scrubbing brush will clean it off, for a while anyway.


Good morning, Rosalind!
I am impressed by your love of poetry and Shakespeare!
They are not close to my heart, I'm afraid.
I like several of Robert Frost, though.
Maybe there is hope for me, yet!

Hi rusty

Thank you. No-one else in my family likes poetry or Shakespeare much!

I have scrubbed many a gravestone in my time, recording old churchyards. It's good to use something like a discarded toothbrush (because the bristles are nylon). Amazon sells a headstone cleaner if simple (and gentle!) scrubbing doesn't work. If there is a growth you can see, a good soak and a wooden lolly stick should take it off.

Hi, Rusty!
It is somewhat dull here, too, and a tad chillier than of late.
I wonder if perhaps those graves in your cemetery that look neglected, are so because most of the descendants have also died?
And again, I do think that it is only the older generations who "remember"?
A mixed solution of bleach and water should remove the black mould.......or try white vinegar?
My morning seems to have gone in a whirl........the dog is asking for her lunch time biscuit...!

Sorry elle, vinegar might work, but it is definitely not recommended for gravestones, being acidic. 50/50 bleach and water would be better but I'd avoid both, if possible.

Hello, Rosalind.
Why do you emphasise "nylon bristles"?
I thought I would take a nail brush and plain water to try.
(I'll take a toothbrush, too, now!)
I'd rather not use a cleaner or any chemicals, to begin with, anyway.
It's a task for another day, though, and I've written it in my diary!

Hello, Elle!
Yes, I suppose a lot of the relatives and friends have passed on, but there will be many who simply don't visit.
I like to see someone visit a grave, and tidying it up, and replacing flowers etc.
It's a nice feeling!
As I mentioned to Rosalind, I won't use chemicals, to begin with, anyway, but see how I go with a brush and plain water.
I know there are stone cleaning products on the market, but I would be wary of those!

Hi, Rusty!
I hadn't thought to ask what your headstone is made of?
That might make a difference as to what you use to clean it?
Be careful if you are using any type of brush that it does not scratch the surface......
I haven't personally tried either bleach or vinegar to clean a gravestone...but I do recall my mother using white vinegar to "clean up" at the cemetery.
My memorial stone for my parents is a marble slab....so all I have ever been required to do is wipe it gently with a soft cloth soaked in soapy water (Fairy liquid!)
I have just had another parcel delivered!
All are ahead of the time schedule given ......
I am doing well!

Hello, Ros!
Sorry, I missed your earlier post….
I was only echoing what I recall my mother having used effectively in the past...
I will bow to your superior judgement, as I know you will have had a lot of experience of gravestones in your quest for your ancestral roots!

And regarding Shakespeare…. I studied his works extensively at school - and I loved it!
We used to learn and recite long passages...although I can now only remember fragments.

One of my favourite poems is a " A Torch of Flame " by Sir Henry Newbolt..... I can still recite that , word for word!
Do you know the poem?
https://www.firstworldwar.com/poetsandprose/newbolt.htm