What follows is a portion of the “The Ballad of the White Horse,” a poem by G. K. Chesterton. I’ve never read the whole poem, and am only familiar with this one part and a few other pieces. But I like it.
I first became acquainted with this work in the book Against the Night: Living in the New Dark Ages, by Charles Colson, in which the excerpt below is fully printed. That book had a profound impact on my teenage views of culture and society. I’ve read this poem so many times that I have it nearly memorized.
You can read an enlightening commentary on this poem, its meaning and origin, at Lecture 21: The Ballad of the White Horse.
The Ballad of the White Horse
(Excerpt)
by G. K. Chesterton
The men of the East may spell the stars,
And times and triumphs mark,
But the men signed of the cross of Christ
Go gaily in the dark . . .
The wise men know what wicked things
Are written on the sky,
They trim sad lamps, they touch sad strings,
Hearing the heavy purple wings,
Where the forgotten seraph kings
Still plot how God shall die . . .
But you and all the kind of Christ
Are ignorant and brave,
And you have wars you hardly win
And souls you hardly save.
I tell you naught for your comfort,
Yea, naught for your desire,
Save that the sky grows darker yet
And the sea rises higher.
Night shall be thrice night over you,
And heaven an iron cope.
Do you have joy without a cause,
Yea, faith without a hope?
* * *
I know, it sounds a bit depressing. But it actually conveys a motivational message. Why do we fight? Is it for the reward of victory itself, or because our cause is itself good? Is there danger in fighting with “too much” courage — that is, presumption or carelessness? In the epic poem itself, these words prompt King Alfred to fight bravely against the odds — and win. And those are just the kinds of wins we need in our darkly clouded world.
Tags: poetry