"The Palace" by Rudyard Kipling explores themes of legacy, craftsmanship, and the cyclical nature of creation within the context of Masonry. The narrator, reflecting on his time as a King and Mason, describes the process of building a palace, only to uncover the remnants of a previous structure. This discovery prompts a contemplation of the original builder's intentions and aspirations, revealing a shared connection between past and present artisans. The poem emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting the work of predecessors, as the narrator ultimately decides to abandon his project in deference to future builders. The closing lines serve as a poignant reminder of the continuity of Masonic values, urging future generations to acknowledge the contributions of those who came before them. This work underscores the significance of humility and the recognition of collective effort in the pursuit of excellence in Masonry.
Rudyard Kipling
December 16th, 2025
April 12th, 2026
manual
education and_development
When I was a King and a Mason, A Master proven and skilled, I cleared me ground for a Palace Such as a King should build. I decreed and dug down to my levels; Presently, under the silt, I came on the wreck of a Palace, Such as a King had built. There was no worth in the fashion, There was no wit in the planHither and thither, aimless, The ruined footing ranMasonry, brute, mishandled, But carven on every stone: "After me cometh a Builder, Tell him. I, too, have known." Swift to my use in my trenches, Where my well planned ground-works grew, I tumbled his quoins and his ashlars, And cut and reset them anew. Lime I milled of his marbles: Burned it, slaked it, and spread, Taking and leaving at pleasure The gifts of the humble dead. Yet I despised not nor gloried; Yet, as we wrench them apart, I read in the razed foundations The heart of that builder's heart. As he had risen and pleaded, So did I understand The form of the dream he had followed In the face of the thing he had planned. When I was a King and a MasonIn the open noon of my pride, They sent me a Word from the DarknessThey whispered and called me aside, They said: "The end is forbidden." They said: "Thy use is fulfilled. Thy Palace shall stand as that other'sThe spoil of a King who shall build." I called my men from my trenches, My quarries, my wharves and my sheers. All I had wrought I abandoned To the faith of the faithless years. Only I cut on the timberOnly I carved on the stone: "After me cometh a Builder, Tell him, I, too, have known."