Which two lines in the poem indicate its theme?

Question

A Shadow
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I said unto myself, if I were dead,
What would befall these children? What would be
Their fate, who now are looking up to me
For help and furtherance? Their lives, I said,
Would be a volume wherein I have read
But the first chapters, and no longer see
To read the rest of their dear history,
So full of beauty and so full of dread.
Be comforted; the world is very old,
And generations pass, as they have passed,
A troop of shadows moving with the sun;
Thousands of times has the old tale been told;
The world belongs to those who come the last,
They will find hope and strength as we have done.

Answer 1

The two lines that best indicate the theme of the poem "A Shadow" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow are:

"Thousands of times has the old tale been told;
The world belongs to those who come the last,"

These lines reflect the theme of continuity and the cyclical nature of life, suggesting that while individual struggles and stories may feel overwhelming, there is an inherent hope that future generations will find their own strength and resilience, just as those before them have done.