| Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936). Verse: 1885–1918. 1922. | | | | Prophets at Home |
| | | PROPHETS have honour all over the Earth, | |
| Except in the village where they were born, | |
| Where such as knew them boys from birth, | |
| Nature-ally hold ’em in scorn. | |
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| When Prophets are naughty and young and vain, | 5 |
| They make a won’erful grievance of it; | |
| (You can see by their writings how they complain), | |
| But O, ’tis won’erful good for the Prophet! | |
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| There’s nothing Nineveh Town can give | |
| (Nor being swallowed by whales between), | 10 |
| Makes up for the place where a man’s folk live, | |
| Which don’t care nothing what he has been. | |
| He might ha’ been that, or he might ha’ been this, | |
| But they love and they hate him for what he is. | | | | |
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