"Courage" by Edgar Albert Guest

Courage isn't a brilliant dash,
A daring deed in a moment's flash;
It isn't an instantaneous thing
Born of despair with a sudden spring
It isn't a creature of flickered hope
Or the final tug at a slipping rope;
But it's something deep in the soul of man
That is working always to serve some plan
Courage isn't the last resort
In the work of life or the game of sport;
It isn't a thing that a man can call
At some future time when he's apt to fall;
If he hasn't it now, he will have it not
When the strain is great and the pace is hot
For who would strive for a distant goal
Must always have courage within his soul.
Courage isn't a dazzling light
That flashes and passes away from sight;
It's a slow, unwavering, ingrained trait
With the patience to work and the strength to wait.
It's part of a man when his skies are blue,
It's part of him when he was work to do
The brave man never is freed of it
He has it when there is no need of it
Courage was never designed for show;
It isn't a thing that can come or go;
It's written in victory and defeat
And every trial a man may meet
It's part of his hours, his days and his years,
Back of his smiles and behind his tears
Courage is more than a daring deed
It's the breath of life and a strong man's creed