Winners Or Losers?

By William Arthur Dunkerley (John Oxenham)

Ode
    Unless our Souls win back to Thee,     We shall have lost this fight.     Yes, though we win on field and sea,     Though mightier still our might may be,     We still shall lose if we win not Thee.         Help us to climb, as in Thy sight,         The Great High Way of Thy Delight.     It is the world-old strife again,--     The fight 'twixt good and ill.     Since first the curse broke out in Cain,     Each age has worn the grim red chain,     And ill fought good for sake of gain.         Help us, through all life's conflict, still         To battle upwards to Thy Will.     Are we to be like all the rest,     Or climb we loftier height?     Can we our wayward steps arrest?--     All life with nobler life invest?--     And so fulfil our Lord's behest?         Help us, through all the world's dark night,         To struggle upwards to the Light.     If not,--we too shall pass, as passed     The older peoples in their time.     God's pact is sure, His word stands fast,--     Those who His sovereignty outcast     Outcast themselves shall be at last.         So,--lest we pass in this our prime,         Lord, set us to the upward climb!

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Poem Details

Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Analysis & Notes:
This poem is a fervent plea for spiritual guidance amidst the constant struggle between good and evil. The speaker implores a higher power, addressed as Thee or Lord, for assistance in navigating life's challenges and achieving a higher purpose. The poem's structure reinforces this sense of urgency and yearning. The consistent use of four-line stanzas creates a rhythmic cadence, mimicking the speaker's fervent supplication. This is further emphasized by the frequent repetition of phrases like Help us and To climb, underscoring the speaker's desperation for divine intervention. The language itself is charged with imagery of conflict and ascent. Words like fight, battle, grim, and dark evoke a sense of struggle, while climb, height, and light suggest a desire to overcome these challenges and reach a higher spiritual plane. The poem's tonal shift occurs in the final stanza, as the speaker's plea becomes more desperate, emphasizing the potential consequences of failing to heed the divine call. The repetition of lest we pass and in our prime underscores the speaker's fear of succumbing to the allure of worldly pursuits and missing out on true fulfillment. Ultimately, the poem leaves the reader with a profound sense of the human struggle for meaning and the enduring power of faith.

Understanding the Ode

An ode is a lyric poem of praise or deep meditation, traditionally addressed to a person, object, idea, or occasion. It blends heightened language with reflective thought, often celebrating its subject while considering its larger meaning.

Common features you’ll see in odes:

  • Direct address (apostrophe): The speaker often speaks to the subject—“O nightingale,” “Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness…”.
  • Elevated diction & imagery: Rich metaphors and formal tone heighten the sense of tribute or contemplation.
  • Structured stanzas: Many odes follow established patterns:
    • Pindaric: Triadic movement—strophe, antistrophe, epode; public/ceremonial energy.
    • Horatian: Regular, repeated stanza forms; more intimate and reflective.
    • Irregular: Flexible stanza lengths and rhyme; keeps the ode’s spirit without strict pattern.
  • Argument in stages: Odes often progress from praise → problem/tension → resolution or tempered insight.
  • Music of thought: Even without fixed meter, patterning in syntax, refrain, and sound creates a ceremonial cadence.

Whether public or personal, the ode elevates its subject and invites readers to dwell on what makes it worthy of honor.