Tuesday, March 17, 2009

"Say not the struggle nought availeth,
The labor and the wounds are vain;
The enemy faints not, nor faileth,
And as things have been they remain.

If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars;
It may be, in yon smoke concealed,
Your comrades chase e'en now the fliers,
And, but for you, possess the field.

For while the tired waves, vainly breaking,
Seem here no painful inch to gain,
Far back, through creeks and inlets making,
Comes silent, flooding in, the main.

And not by eastern windows only,
When daylight come, comes in the light,
In front, the sun climbs slow, how slowly,
But westward, look, the land is bright."

The picture of the horse struggling, but not giving up in the deep snow captured the essence of this post for me. As the poet declares, often our struggles seem in vain, but we never know when our last attempt may be the one that possess the victory.

Poem by Arthur Hugh Clough - photo by Rian Houston

4 comments:

Matt said...

and that horse is stronger and more determined than us. Good poem.

Mel said...

To me the whole message of this passage is perserverance. Even if we spend our entire life striving for a cause, but never reach it, it's good to know that God sees all and in His eyes no sincere, Spirit-led venture is wasted. Who knows what will happen because of our efforts after we're gone? And, nobody will ever be able to accuse us of quitting. One example is striving in prayer for the salvation of others. I've heard so many stories of people who have prayed for decades for loved ones to come to salvation, and, finally, those people have come to know the Lord, at the very last second of their very last hour.

Great Post! Thank you!

Yours in Christ,
Mel

FCB said...

Hi Matt,
Thought you would like that picture. It has such an intense determination in his struggle.
Love Dad

Hi Mel,
Great comments. I also particularly liked the line - "Your comrades chase e'en now the fliers,
And, but for you, possess the field."

I pictured a battle in war where our fellow soldiers are near victory, although unseen behind a cloud of dust and smoke, and if I were to just join them, and not lose heart, the battle would be one. I think that's the case in many ministries today, if but one more dedicated Christian were to join the fray, the victory would be won. Anyway, glad you liked it,
Fred

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Fred :)

Very inspiring poem and a fascinating photo!

This reminds me of the story of Robert Bruce who drew inspiration from a spider.

Struggles strengthens us,fortifies us and tests our will power to succeed. It is not in the falling down but in the getting up lies our determination to succeed.

Many thanks for sharing.

Have a good day :)