The Discus Thrower. I took a lot of pictures of this statue. But the expression on his face was the thing I was hoping to capture. If statues could speak. ;)
Say Not The Struggle Nought Availeth
Say not the struggle nought availeth
The labour 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 comes, comes in the light
In front, the sun climbs slow, how slowly.
But westward, look, the land is bright.
--Arthur Hugh Clough
I know no one whose life is without effort. There will be struggles, big or small enough that we barely even take notice of. Struggle is an inevitable part of being alive. Struggle can be the beginning of new strength. This poem speaks of hope, in times there may feel like there is no hope, in times it feels like all effort is in vain. Let there be hope.
