Sports Poetry & Meaning
Volleyball Poems for Team Resilience
Events PoetrySee It Through
When you’re up against a trouble,
Meet it squarely, face to face;
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace.
When it’s vain to try to dodge it,
Do the best that you can do;
You may fail, but you may conquer,
See it through!
Black may be the clouds about you
And your future may seem grim,
But don’t let your nerve desert you;
Keep yourself in fighting trim.
If the worst is bound to happen,
Spite of all that you can do,
Running from it will not save you,
See it through!
Even hope may seem but futile,
When with troubles you’re beset,
But remember you are facing
Just what other men have met.
You may fail, but fall still fighting;
Don’t give up, whate’er you do;
Eyes front, head high to the finish.
See it through!
Overview Short Summary
This poem is about facing difficulty directly. It is useful for volleyball teams because it matches the feeling of staying composed through tough sets, missed points, and long seasons.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Perseverance: The poem repeatedly urges the reader to continue through difficulty.
- Bravery: It presents courage as facing trouble, not escaping it.
- Team mindset: The message can apply to individual players and entire teams.
Style Tone and Literary Devices
The tone is direct and encouraging. Guest uses repeated commands, simple rhyme, and physical imagery such as lifted chin, set shoulders, and eyes front to create an athletic feel.
Vitaï Lampada
There’s a breathless hush in the Close to-night—
Ten to make and the match to win—
A bumping pitch and a blinding light,
An hour to play and the last man in.
And it’s not for the sake of a ribboned coat,
Or the selfish hope of a season’s fame,
But his captain’s hand on his shoulder smote:
“Play up! play up! and play the game!”
The sand of the desert is sodden red,—
Red with the wreck of a square that broke;—
The Gatling’s jammed and the Colonel dead,
And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.
The river of death has brimmed his banks,
And England’s far, and Honour a name,
But the voice of a schoolboy rallies the ranks:
“Play up! play up! and play the game!”
This is the word that year by year,
While in her place the School is set,
Every one of her sons must hear,
And none that hears it dare forget.
This they all with a joyful mind
Bear through life like a torch in flame,
And falling fling to the host behind—
“Play up! play up! and play the game!”
Overview Short Summary
This poem begins with a tense match and turns the phrase “play the game” into a lesson about duty, courage, and shared spirit. For volleyball readers, it works best as a poem about team values and competitive pressure.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Sportsmanship: The poem links playing well with character, not just victory.
- Team loyalty: The captain’s hand on the player’s shoulder becomes a symbol of trust.
- Pressure: The opening match scene captures the nervous energy of a decisive moment.
Style Tone and Literary Devices
The tone is urgent and ceremonial. Newbolt uses refrain, dramatic imagery, and contrast between sport and conflict to turn a game into a moral lesson about courage.
A Psalm of Life
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
“Life is but an empty dream!”
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
“Dust thou art, to dust returnest,”
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,—act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
Overview Short Summary
This poem encourages action, effort, and patience. For volleyball players and coaches, it reads like a reminder that growth comes from daily work, not only from winning matches.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Action: The poem urges readers to act in the present rather than wait passively.
- Growth: Each tomorrow should find the person “farther than to-day.”
- Legacy: The image of footprints suggests that effort can inspire others.
Style Tone and Literary Devices
The tone is uplifting and serious. Longfellow uses metaphor, command, repetition, and martial imagery to make life feel like an arena where courage and labor matter.
Reader Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these poems written directly about volleyball?
The poems in this collection are classic sports, effort, courage, and athlete-centered poems that fit volleyball players, teams, coaches, senior night, banquets, and end-of-season reflections. Direct older poems written specifically about volleyball are limited, so the collection focuses on poems that match the emotions and values of the game.
Which poem is best for volleyball senior night?
“To An Athlete Dying Young” is the most athlete-centered poem, but it has a serious and elegiac tone. For a more positive senior night reading, “Invictus,” “If—,” “It Couldn’t Be Done,” or “See It Through” may fit better.
Which poem is best for volleyball players who need motivation?
“Invictus,” “If—,” “It Couldn’t Be Done,” and “See It Through” are the strongest motivational choices because they focus on resilience, discipline, pressure, and refusing to give up.
Which poem works best for a volleyball coach or team banquet?
“A Psalm of Life” works well for a coach’s message because it emphasizes effort, progress, patience, and leaving a positive example for others. “Vitaï Lampada” also works for team values and sportsmanship.
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