# Might and Right explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Henry van Dyke Jr..

## What happens

A brief poem reflecting on the relationship between might and right, suggesting that right must acquire might to prevail, written on July 1, 1915.

## Themes in this chapter

### Duty and Patriotism

The poem calls for a 'long campaign' to ensure right conquers, implying a duty to uphold justice.

## Key lines

> If Might made Right, life were a wild-beasts’ cage; If Right made Might, this were the golden age; But now, until we win the long campaign, Right must gain Might to conquer and to reign.

If power alone determined justice, life would be chaotic and brutish; if justice alone held power, the world would be perfect. In reality, justice must acquire power to triumph and rule.

_The poem contrasts two hypothetical worlds with the current struggle, emphasizing the need for righteous force._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_10_se/chapters/might-and-right
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_10_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_10_se/chapters