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.
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.
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.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.
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.
We sloshed you with Martinis, an’ it wasn’t ‘ardly fair;
But for all the odds agin’ you, Fuzzy-Wuz, you broke the square.‘E ‘asn’t got no papers of ‘is own,
‘E ‘asn’t got no medals nor rewards,
So we must certify the skill ‘e’s shown
In usin’ of ‘is long two-’anded swords:
When ‘e’s ‘oppin’ in an’ out among the bush
With ‘is coffin-’eaded shield an’ shovel-spear,
An ‘appy day with Fuzzy on the rush
Will last an ‘ealthy Tommy for a year.
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!‘E rushes at the smoke when we let drive,
An’, before we know, ‘e’s ‘ackin’ at our ‘ead;
‘E’s all ‘ot sand an’ ginger when alive,
An’ ‘e’s generally shammin’ when ‘e’s dead.
‘E’s a daisy, ‘e’s a ducky, ‘e’s a lamb!
‘E’s a injia-rubber idiot on the spree,
‘E’s the on’y thing that doesn’t give a damn
For a Regiment o’ British Infantree!
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!
Summary of Fuzzy Wuzzy
- Popularity of “Fuzzy Wuzzy”: Written by Rudyard Kipling, a popular English poet born in India, this poem, comprising just four stanzas, got published in 1892. It was part of Barrack Room Ballads, written to express the thoughts of the British soldiers fighting in the far-off lands. However, this poem demonstrates how the British soldiers were free in their approach of appraising the performance of the opposing forces. Its main idea is the British soldiery praising the bravery of the Hadendoa, tribal warriors of Sudan, during the British invasion of Eritrea.
- “Fuzzy Wuzzy” As a Representative of Honest Praise of the Opponent Soldiers: To show the views of the British soldiery about the war in Sudan, the poet presents first person plural speaker who is in awe of the Sudanese soldiers’ bravery calling them Fuzzy-Wuzzies, a specific title awarded to them. The speaker confesses that having fought multiple wars in almost every other corner of the world, he has never come across such raw courage in soldiers fighting against them. The fighting dexterity of the Fuzzy-Wuzzy soldiers riding their horses with banjo gave them a stiff resistance that they have never encountered in the Khyber Hills against the Pashtuns, a fiercely independent race against whom they fought.
However, they were no match against the Fuzzy, who confronted their cannons bravely and still won against them. Fighting with merely swords and horses and their own raw courage, the speaker is of the view that they have demonstrated their courage in taking back the square from the British soldiers despite facing heavy losses. In fact, their fierce, fast and furious attacks in the thick smoke of the martinis surprised him at which he is full of praise for these Fuzzy-Wuzzy soldiers. - Major Themes in “Fuzzy Wuzzy”: Praise of soldiery, the awe of the opponents, and free expressions are three major themes of the poem “Fuzzy Wuzzy. Kipling, who was born in India and wrote about India, could see both perspectives of the battle. He shows his impartiality in praising the Fuzzy Wuzzy soldiers of Sudan for demonstrating show that though they could not defeat the British soldiers equipped with modern weapons and ammunition, they demonstrated raw courage and bravery in the battle fought to capture a square. Although many of them died showing their classical swordsmanship, they put the British in their awe due to their fierce resistance and the damage caused to the British soldiers. Kipling shows his skill as well as acumen in praising the opponent that they had a little victory at a great cost and put the British soldiers at a disadvantage for a short time.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Fuzzy Wuzzy
Rudyard Kipling used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices are analyzed below.
- Anaphora: It is a device that is repeated at the beginning of successive verses. For example, the poet has used anaphora such as “E ‘asn’t got no.”
- Allusion: It means to refer to some classical, literary, mythological, or religious event, figure, or place for emphasis on the main idea. The poet used various allusions such as geographical by mentioning Sudan, Khyber hills, and people by mentioning Zulu and the Boers or military by mentioning British infantry or Fuzzy-Wuzzy.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “ An’ some of ‘em was brave an’ some was not” and the sound of /o/ in “So ‘ere’s to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your ‘ome in the Soudan.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /m/ in “many men”, or /f/ in “first-class fighting” or /w/ in “we went” or /b/ in “black boundin’ beggar.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ and /w/ in “Was pop to what the Fuzzy made us swaller” and the sound of /m/ in “We’ve fought with many men acrost the seas.”
- Enjambment: It is a device in which the meanings of verse roll over to the next without having any pause or punctuation mark. The sonnet shows the use of an enjambment such as;
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
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Rudyard Kipling used imagery in this poem, such as “The Burman give us Irriwaddy chills”, “We ‘eld our bloomin’ own, the papers say” and “ But man for man the Fuzzy knocked us ‘oller”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used metaphors for Fuzzy Wuzzy, saying that they are daisy, ducky, and lamb and did not pose more resistance to the British infantry.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as seas, Zulu, Burmese, Fuzzy, Sudan, or martinis to show the bravery of the British infantry.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Fuzzy Wuzzy
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal and poetic, and contractedly archaic diction.
- End Rhyme: It means to use rhyming words by the end of verses. The poet has used end rhyme such as seas/Burmese, horses/forces, and Soudan/signed.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas with each comprising twelve verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows an appreciative, praising, and mildly overbearing tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote to praise the bravery and courage of the soldiers.
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!