Climbing
CLIMBING
My boy, are you fond of climbing?
Would you scale the lofty hill?
Those on the far-off summit
Were men of steadfast will.
Often their feet grew weary
And worn in the toilsome way,
But they never got discouraged,
And stand at the top today.
You have read what a poet tells us—
That we gain not at a bound
The heights; but life's like a ladder—
We must climb up round by round;
So the hill that is steep before you
It may take you long to climb,
But one step after another
Will lead to the top in time.
He who would reach the summit
Must turn not to left or right;
He must keep up heart and courage,
And keep the heights in sight.
Little by little the summit
Grows bright in his steadfast eye,
And at last he stands with the victors,
As you may, if you try.
Eben, E. Rexford