The Ballad of the White Horse by G.K. ChestertonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I read this long poem because C. S. Lewis loved it and because I'm simply fascinated by Anglo-Saxon history and culture. This poem is the partially historical, partially idealized story of King Alfred, the ninth-century Saxon king who defended his kingdom successfully against the Danes. (To this day, he's still the only English monarch known as "the Great.")
As someone who is familiar with English history but not an expert in it, I found the poem hard to follow in places (geography, historical references, etc.). I also found some of the slower passages tedious. (I should note that these are not Chesterton's faults as a writer, but mine as a reader.) But overall this is a good story that includes heroism, adventure, and the triumph of virtue. I also enjoyed how Chesterton, true to form, weaves a defense of Christianity (well, Catholicism) into the narrative.
I put only three stars because after having read it only once, I feel like I need to read it again to really let it get into my imagination so that I can savor it and enjoy it more.
As a postscript, this poem is the source of these famous lines:
"For the great Gaels of Ireland
Are the men that God made mad,
For all their wars are merry,
And all their songs are sad."
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