Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
death closes all; but something ere the end,
some work of noble note, may yet be done,
not unbecoming men that strove with gods.
the lights begin to twinkle from the rocks: [5]
the long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
moans round with many voices. come, my friends,
‘tis not too late to seek a newer world.
push off, and sitting well in order smite
the sounding furrows; for my purpose holds [10]
to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
of all the western stars, until i die.
it may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
it may be we shall touch the happy isles,
and see the great achilles, whom we knew. [15]
tho’ much is taken, much abides; 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 weak by time and fate, but strong in will [20]
to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
source: tennyson, alfred. “ulysses.” the early poems of alfred, lord tennyson. london: edward moxon, 1842. project gutenberg. 2005. web. 7 june 2011.
examine lines 16 through 18 and select the answer that describes the poetic technique used there.