Grade 6: "The Power of the Dog" by Rudyard Kipling

This poem by Rudyard Kipling pays tribute to our beloved canine companions — and warns of the eventual heartache involved with loving a dog.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sorrow
    an emotion of great sadness associated with loss
    There is sorrow enough in the natural way
    From men and women to fill our day;
    And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
    Why do we always arrange for more?
  2. beware
    be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to
    Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
    Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
  3. unflinching
    showing courage and determination in the face of danger
    Buy a pup and your money will buy
    Love unflinching that cannot lie—
    Perfect passion and worship fed
    By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
  4. passion
    a strong feeling or emotion
    Buy a pup and your money will buy
    Love unflinching that cannot lie—
    Perfect passion and worship fed
    By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
  5. nevertheless
    despite anything to the contrary
    Nevertheless it is hardly fair
    To risk your heart for a dog to tear.
  6. asthma
    respiratory disorder characterized by wheezing
    When the fourteen years which Nature permits
    Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
    And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs
    To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
    Then you will find—it’s your own affair—
    But…you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.
  7. fit
    a sudden uncontrollable attack
    When the fourteen years which Nature permits
    Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
    And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs
    To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
    Then you will find—it’s your own affair—
    But…you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.
  8. unspoken
    not made explicit
    When the fourteen years which Nature permits
    Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
    And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs
    To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
    Then you will find—it’s your own affair—
    But…you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.
  9. prescription
    written instructions from a doctor to a druggist
    When the fourteen years which Nature permits
    Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
    And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs
    To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
    Then you will find—it’s your own affair—
    But…you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.
  10. lethal
    of an instrument of certain death
    When the fourteen years which Nature permits
    Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
    And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs
    To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
    Then you will find—it’s your own affair—
    But…you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.
  11. affair
    a matter or concern
    When the fourteen years which Nature permits
    Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
    And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs
    To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
    Then you will find—it’s your own affair—
    But…you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.
  12. whimper
    a complaint uttered in a plaintive whining way
    When the body that lived at your single will,
    With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!).
    When the spirit that answered your every mood
    Is gone—wherever it goes—for good,
    You will discover how much you care,
    And will give your heart to a dog to tear.
  13. spirit
    the vital principle or animating force within living things
    When the body that lived at your single will,
    With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!).
    When the spirit that answered your every mood
    Is gone—wherever it goes—for good,
    You will discover how much you care,
    And will give your heart to a dog to tear.
  14. grieve
    feel intense sorrow, especially due to a loss
    Though it is not always the case, I believe,
    That the longer we’ve kept ’em, the more do we grieve:
    For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
    A short-time loan is as bad as a long—
    So why in—Heaven (before we are there)
    Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?
  15. debt
    money or goods or services owed by one person to another
    Though it is not always the case, I believe,
    That the longer we’ve kept ’em, the more do we grieve:
    For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
    A short-time loan is as bad as a long—
    So why in—Heaven (before we are there)
    Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?
Created on Fri Mar 27 15:44:35 EDT 2026 (updated Wed Apr 08 13:21:56 EDT 2026)

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