'The White Man's Burden'

(The United States and the Philippine Islands)

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.

[Kipling, 1899]