Kipling’s famous–some might say infamous–poem “The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon” has gained a great deal of traction in dissident circles.
I maintain that a major reason why this poem has resonated with the current generations of young men on the right is that it highlights the masculine virtues they were never taught.
What follows is a breakdown of the poem, annotated with the particular masculine virtues exemplified by each verse.
It was not part of their blood,
It came to them very late,
With long arrears to make good,
When the Saxon began to hate.
Patience: the virtue that empowers us to endure suffering as dictated by reason until the source of the suffering can be reasonably overcome.
They were not easily moved,
They were icy — willing to wait
Temperance: the virtue which grants us mastery of our passions in order to regulate them according to right reason.
Till every count should be proved,
Ere the Saxon began to hate.
Justice: the virtue which enables us to ensure that each receives his due according to his desserts as discerned by the light of reason.
Their voices were even and low.
Their eyes were level and straight.
There was neither sign nor show
When the Saxon began to hate.
Humility: the virtue which leads us to true self-knowledge and helps us to act accordingly, without vanity or pride.
It was not preached to the crowd.
It was not taught by the state.
No man spoke it aloud
When the Saxon began to hate.
Wisdom: This virtue draws the will to embrace truth apprehended by the intellect and act on it.
It was not suddenly bred.
It will not swiftly abate.
Through the chilled years ahead,
When Time shall count from the date
That the Saxon began to hate.
Fortitude: the virtue which empowers us to stand firm in the face of physical, moral, and spiritual opposition.
Kipling was prescient when he foresaw that these virtues will be necessary to see us through the chilled years ahead. Let us pray for their increase.
And let us not fund people who hate us.
