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Rudyard Kipling

It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation  To call upon a neighbour and to say: --"We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight,  Unless you pay us cash to go away."And that is called asking for Dane-geld,  And the people who ask it explainThat you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld  And then  you'll get rid of the Dane!It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation,  To puff and look important and to say: --"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.  We will therefore pay you cash to go away."And that is called paying the Dane-geld;  But we've  proved it again and  again,That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld  You never get rid of the Dane.It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,  For fear they should succumb and go astray;So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,  You will find it better policy to say: --"We never pay any-one Dane-geld,  No matter how trifling the cost;For the end of that game is oppression and shame,  And the nation that pays it is lost!"