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.
-Rudyard Kipling
Serpent's Den 
You seem to know a bit of history. I’m curious to know what was happening in Jolly Old England when this was written. Any chance you have some “intel” on that? I have vague recollections from my school and university days about late 19th Century Britain, and images from the likes of Charles Dickens and Bram Stoker flying around in my head, none of which gives me a clue what got Mr. Kipling going here. In any event, I do always enjoy his verse, whatever the topic.
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Well, it was written in 1917, which alone might answer the question, but yeah, it’s Great War anti-Prussianism.
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1917. That does add some flavor.
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Though I certainly think that, like a lot of his poems, it’s fairly applicable to other circumstances as the reader sees fit.
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