And tho' We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made we… - Alfred Tennyson

We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
“Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

[...] we are — / One equal temper of heroic hearts,/ Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will/ To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

So I find every pleasant spot
In which we two were wont to meet,
The field, the chamber, and the street,
For all is dark where thou art not

Kate saith the world is void of might.
Kate saith the men are gilded flies.
Kate snaps her fingers at my vows;
Kate will not hear of lovers sighs.
I would I were an armed knight,
Far-famed for well-won enterprise,
And wearing on my swarthy brows
The garland of new-wreathed emprise
For in a moment I would pierce
The blackest files of clanging fight,
And strongly strike to left and right,
In dreaming of my lady's eyes.
O, Kate loves well the bold and fierce;
But none are bold enough for Kate,
She cannot find a fitting mate.

And this electric force, that keeps
A thousand pulses dancing, fail.