not as overtly theological as some of his work, it does reflect a similar sense of struggle with the "dark night of the soul."

The poem consists of four quatrains rhymed ABAB written in flexible iambic tetrameter lines with several rhythmic variations. The first stanza echoes Galatians 6.9: "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not," suggesting that the struggle of the poem is a spiritual one. 

The main theme of the poem is that in spiritual struggles, such as the one described by St. Paul, it is important to "faint not" even though results may not be immediately apparent. It is important to persist because even though there "Seem here no painful inch to gain" often hope and success come from unexpected places, as Clough suggests in the lines:

In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly,

But westward, look, the land is bright.

The poem "Say Not The Struggle Nought Availeth" by Liverpool-born poet Arthur Hugh Clough concerns itself with the notion that whatever struggle one must take up and endure in life, it is, in the end worth it. This poem is four stanzas of four lines each. The rhyme scheme of the poem is abab (1st Stanza), cdcd (2nd Stanza), efef (3rd Stanza), and ghgh (4th Stanza).

Clough is saying that our labors, and the resultant hurts and wounds from it, are worthy, even when who or what we fight against is victorious. Even though we may not have won the struggle, or have not yet won it, there is benefit in the process of trying to become victorious. This is often hard to see and take when we are in the midst of difficulties and trials.

The poet further says that we may hope and not see a positive result developing. Nonetheless, he also says that:

…fears may be liars;

In other words, what we fear may never come to fruition to harm us. In thus sense, our fears are lying to use – we may very well end up victorious. Clough further states that it may seem that our efforts are hindering the success of our comrades. He proceeds to say that we may be making progress in our battle, even though it appears that we may not be. 

Seem here, no painful inch to gain, (he uses the analogy of waves trying to make headway here)

However, we may finally achieve a breakthrough as we strive to move ahead to victory

Clough ends the poem by saying that victory and overcoming trials do not only come one way, such as “by eastern windows," but also in other ways that we must be cognizant of looking at. Fundamentally, the poem is about seeing life’s battles as beneficial, even as we hope for satisfying and victorious outcomes. While we are in trials we can build character, become more resilient, patient, and persevering as we work to attain our goals.

To best understand Clough's poem "Say Not the Struggle Naught Availeth," one must understand the text he wrote with.

First, "Say not the struggle" means do not say the struggle. "Naught" is a synonym for nothing, worthless, or useless. "Availeth" (a form of avail) means to benefit or help.

Therefore, the first line states, simply, "do not say the struggle was of no benefit."

The poem, then, speaks to the fact that regardless of what one does, the fighting for betterment or hopes being dashed, one cannot believe that it has been done in vain. Instead of looking upon only the new possibilities (as brought by the "eastern windows only"), one must be able to reflect on the day as it has passed (but westward look) and know all is not in vain.

This poem, written in 1849 and published in 1855, is written to encourage those who were disappointed and discouraged by the failures of the 1848 revolutions in France and Italy. Many, like Clough, who had an evangelical background, hoped the uprising would bring needed reforms to help the working classes and the poor. 

The poem can seem difficult because of the archaic language, but it is actually very straightforward. In the first stanza, Clough answers the naysayers who are despairing. He contradicts those who are say that nothing will change. That is not true, he states. The "struggle," "labor" and "wounds" suffered were not worthless ("in vain").

In the second stanza, he continues this theme. If people say they were betrayed by false hopes, maybe the fears they now feel are also lying to them. Maybe, though we cannot see it—here Clough uses the image of smoke—the people on the side of revolution and change are almost at the victory point and only need us to join in order to win the day. In other words, he is saying that rather than despair, people should keep on struggling for change.

The third and fourth stanzas use nature images to make the same point: while it may seem as if nothing is changing, out of view great things may be happening. The ocean waves seem never to gain an inch, no matter how many times they break on the shore, but waters may be flooding fields out of view, bringing new contours to the land. Likewise, playing on the idea that it is always darkest before dawn, the final stanza says that it can seem as if the sun will never rise—and then it does.

Clough suggests in this poem that the defeats suffered are temporary setbacks. Margaret Drabble, a writer and critic, says the poem never fails to bring tears to her eyes, and it does have a sincere simplicity that moves our emotions. Further, its language is general and universal, so that it is applicable to any struggle.

Arthur Clough's poem "Say Not the Struggle Naught Availeth" was first published under the title "The Struggle" in an American art journal, The Crayon, in 1855. Many critics assume that it refers to the failure of liberal reforms in France and Italy in the late 1840s.

The poem consists of 16 lines organized into four open quatrains, each rhymed ABAB. The poem's meter is iambic tetrameter, with frequent metrical variations and several feminine rhymes. 

The themes and some of the phrasing of the poem are taken from the Bible, specifically:

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9)

The theme of the Biblical passage in the poem is that one must persist in a struggle for what one knows is right even if the end goal seems distant or one endures various setbacks. It compares human struggles to a tide that recedes but advances again and suggests that even if one sees no immediate results from one's actions, they still may have effects one cannot immediately perceive.