Pilgrims

Go as a pilgrim and seek out danger
Far from the comfort and well-lit avenues of life,
Pit your very soul against the unknown
And seek stimulation in the company of the brave,

Experience cold and hunger, heat and thirst,
And survive to see another challenge and another dawn.
Only then will you be at peace with yourself,
And be able to know and say

I looked down upon the farthest side of the mountain
And fulfilled, and understanding all, and truly content
I lived a life that was my own.

We are the pilgrims, master; we shall go
Always a little further; it may be
Beyond the last blue mountain barred with snow,
Across that angry or that glimmering sea.


UK special forces poem (anon)
Last four lines are from
James Elroy Flecker
"The Golden Journey to Samarkand"
Thanks to Damien Lewis