Rudyard Kipling, For All We Have and Are

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“For All We Have and Are” is a poem by Rudyard Kipling that responds to the outbreak of the First World War, and more specifically to the German invasion of Belgium, in August 1914. He wrote the poem in the last week of that month, publishing it in

The Times

on 2nd September, to widespread acclaim – and widespread syndication in newspapers across the English-speaking world. Kipling subsequently reprinted it with minor revisions and with the date “1914” added as a subtitle in his volume of wartime and pre-war poems,

The Years Between

(1919), and in later collections of his verse.

Among the many poems published in the London press and elsewhere in response to the war’s outbreak, Kipling’s is notable for its somberly resolute tone. Although at this time Kipling was giving

1387 words

Citation: Baldick, Chris. "For All We Have and Are". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 April 2015 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35613, accessed 28 March 2024.]

35613 For All We Have and Are 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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