That on you is fallen the shadow,
And not upon the Name;
That though we scatter and though we fly,
And you hang over us like the sky,
You are more tired of victory,
Than we are tired of shame.That though you hunt the Christian man
Like a hare on the hill-side,
The hare has still more heart to run
Than you have heart to ride.That though all lances split on you,
All swords be heaved in vain,
We have more lust again to lose
Than you to win again.
-G.K. Chesterton, The Ballad of the White Horse
What wonderful lines! To be recalled upon dark days. I am so glad that you have shared them here.
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Indeed, they are some of Chesterton’s finest lines I’d say. Very similar to what Tolkien says about the “Long Defeat”.
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And very applicable to our times.
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