Rudyard Kipling's The Ballad of East and West is often reduced to its opening separation of East and West. The lines that follow describe strong men meeting as equals despite differences of origin. Reading the stanza together gives a different account of cross-cultural respect from quoting its opening alone. The poem is used here to frame the developing British-Japanese relationship and cooperation that preceded the alliance.
Notable Point · 35:18-36:20
Reading Kipling beyond East and West
The closing lines of Kipling's stanza change the meaning of its frequently quoted opening contrast.