My favourite poem

The Rolling English
Road
by G.K.Chesterton
Before the Roman came to Rye or out to
Severn strode,
The rolling English drunkard made the
rolling English road.
A reeling road, a rolling road, that
rambles round the shire,
And after him the parson ran, the sexton
and the squire;
A merry road, a mazy road, and such as
we did tread
The night we went to Birmingham by
way of Beachy Head.
I knew no harm of Bonaparte and plenty
of the Squire,
And for to fight the Frenchman I did not
much desire;
But I did bash their baggonets because
they came arrayed
To straighten out the crooked road an
English drunkard made,
Where you and I went down the lane
with ale-mugs in our hands,
The night we went to Glastonbury by
way of Goodwin Sands.
His sins they were forgiven him; or why
do flowers run
Behind him; and the hedges all
strengthening in the sun?
The wild thing went from left to right
and knew not which was which,
But the wild rose was above him when
they found him in the ditch.
God pardon us, nor harden us; we did
not see so clear
The night we went to Bannockburn by
way of Brighton Pier.
My friends, we will not go again or ape
an ancient rage,
Or stretch the folly of our youth to be
the shame of age,
But walk with clearer eyes and ears this
path that wandereth,
And see undrugged in evening light the
decent inn of death;
For there is good news yet to hear and
fine things to be seen,
Before we go to Paradise by way of
Kensal Green.

Young and Old

When all the world is young, lad,
And all the trees are green;
And every goose a swan, lad,
And every lass a queen;
Then hey for boot and horse, lad,
And round the world away!
Young blood must have its course, lad,
And every dog his day.

When all the world is old, lad,
And all the trees are brown;
And all the sport is stale, lad,
And all the wheels run down;
Creep home, and take your place there,
The spent and maimed among;
God grant you find one face there,
You loved when all was young.

Charles Kingsley

Read it when I was about 12 and it has stuck in my head ever since.  Guess I am getting towards the second verse now.