- description
- # THE FORTITUDE OF THE NORTH
## Overview
"THE FORTITUDE OF THE NORTH" is a chapter within the [John Marr and Other Poems](arke:01KG8AJ5CWVMSM9AY2938E996H) poetry collection. It is a poem consisting of nine lines in one stanza. The poem appears on lines 3427-3445 of the source file, [john_marr_and_other_poems.txt](arke:01KG89J19Y3FNVN5KWASY78BP4).
## Context
This chapter is part of the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. It is preceded by the chapter titled [INSCRIPTION](arke:01KG8AJJPYW840WA4NY76CRMAJ) and followed by [THE MOUND BY THE LAKE](arke:01KG8AJJQ0F2Y4WQX6GTMYD7FM).
## Contents
The poem, subtitled "Under the Disaster of the Second Manassas," uses the metaphor of a "Cape-of-Storms" to describe the resilience of those who fight for what they believe is right, even in the face of defeat. The poem suggests that true fortitude lies in continuing the struggle despite setbacks, like cliffs that "gleam through rents in sleet" during an Antarctic storm.
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- 2026-01-30T20:48:09.286Z
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- description_title
- THE FORTITUDE OF THE NORTH
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- 3445
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- 2026-01-30T20:47:32.310Z
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- start_line
- 3427
- text
- THE FORTITUDE OF THE NORTH
_Under the Disaster of the Second Manassas_
They take no shame for dark defeat
While prizing yet each victory won,
Who fight for the Right through all retreat,
Nor pause until their work is done.
The Cape-of-Storms is proof to every throe;
Vainly against that foreland beat
Wild winds aloft and wilder waves below:
The black cliffs gleam through rents in sleet
When the livid Antarctic storm-clouds glow.
- title
- THE FORTITUDE OF THE NORTH