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The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon
The poem “The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon” is attributed to Rudyard Kipling, who lived from 1865 to 1936.
The poem’s text describes a people, referred to as the Saxon, whose deep-seated hatred developed slowly and deliberately, not from inherent nature but as a response to accumulated grievances.
It emphasizes their composure and patience, noting they were “icy — willing to wait” until every grievance was proven, with no outward signs of their brewing anger.
The poem states this hatred was not incited by public preaching or state doctrine, nor did it arise suddenly; instead, it is portrayed as a long-term consequence that will endure for generations.
The final stanza suggests that the date when the Saxon began to hate will become a significant marker in time.

It is important to note that the poem’s title and content have been appropriated and modified by certain white nationalist and neo-Nazi websites, where the word “English” was replaced with “Saxon” and the title changed to “The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon”.
This alteration is believed to be intended to evoke a sense of racial lineage and a perceived need to preserve a “white race” through selective reproduction, linking the poem to ideologies of racial purity and supremacy.
The original poem, however, is distinct from these modern, politicized interpretations.

The ORIGINAL From the Kipling Society:

The Beginnings

It was not part of their blood,
It came to them very late
With long arrears to make good,
When the English began to hate.

They were not easily moved,
They were icy-willing to wait
Till every count should be proved,
Ere the English began to hate.

Their voices were even and low,
Their eyes were level and straight.
There was neither sign nor show,
When the English began to hate.

It was not preached to the crowd,
It was not taught by the State.
No man spoke it aloud,
When the English began to hate.

It was not suddenly bred,
It will not swiftly abate,
Through the chill years ahead,
When Time shall count from the date
That the English began to hate.