20 Dec The White Man’s Burden: The United States and The Philippine Islands (1899)
The White Man’s Burden:
The United States and The Philippine Islands (1899)
Rudyard Kipling
TAKE up the White Man’s burden – Send forth the best ye breed – Go bind your sons to exile To serve your captives’ need; To wait in heavy harness On fluttered folk and wild – Your new-caught sullen peoples, Half devil and half child.
Take up the White Man’s burden – In patience to abide To veil the threat of terror And check the show of pride; By open speech and simple, An hundred times made plain, To seek another’s profit, And work another’s gain.
Take up the White Man’s burden – The savage wars of peace – Fill full the mouth of famine And bid the sickness cease; And when your goal is nearest The end for others sought, Watch Sloth and heathen Folly Bring all your hopes to nought.
Take up the White Man’s burden – No tawdry rule of kings, But toil of serf and sweeper – The tale of common things. The ports ye shall not enter, The roads ye shall not tread, Go make them with your living, And mark them with your dead !
Take up the White Man’s burden – And reap his old reward, The blame of those ye better, The hate of those ye guard – The cry of hosts ye humour (Ah slowly!) towards the light:- “Why brought ye us from bondage, “Our loved Egyptian night ?”
Take up the White Man’s burden – Ye dare not stoop to less – Nor call too loud on Freedom To cloak your weariness; By all ye cry or whisper, By all ye leave or do, The silent sullen peoples Shall weigh your Gods and you.
Take up the White Man’s burden – Have done with childish days – The lightly proffered laurel, The easy, ungrudged praise. Comes now, to search your manhood Through all the thankless years, Cold-edged with dear-bought wisdom, The judgement of your peers.
