This poem need not be limited in readership to those enrolled in English 11. Rather, I am tempted to the extravagant claim that The Ballad of the White Horse should be compulsory literature for all adult Catholics! The sweep of Chesterton’s prophetic vision as pronounced in rhythm and rhyme is nothing less than magisterial. His analysis of paganism’s rise in modern times has, I think, never been equaled even in prose. No one has ever captured the character and spirit of the Irish better than Chesterton manages in a scant four line stanza in this work. Furthermore, the very structure of the poetry ensures a rollicking good time when read aloud and accompanied with some good Catholic refreshment!
