Do You Fear the Wind

By Hamlin Garland (1860 - 1940)

Hamlin Garland was a successful, midwestern author. Although he was certainly more respected by the academic community than the popular one, he supported himself and his family via his writing. I will include now a description of his life, partly because wow what a life, and partly because of it’s stark contrast with the poem itself. “He got up at half past five, brewed a pot of coffee and made toast on an electric gadget in his study and was at work by six. At nine o'clock he was through with work for the day. Then he breakfasted, read the morning paper and attended to his personal mail. . . . After luncheon he and Mrs. Garland would take a long drive . . . After dinner they would go to a show if an exceptionally good one were in town, otherwise one of their daughters would read aloud.”

"Do You Fear the Wind"

Do you fear the force of the wind,
The slash of the rain?
Go face them and fight them,
Be savage again.
Go hungry and cold like the wolf,
Go wade like the crane:
The palms of your hands will thicken,
The skin of your cheek will tan,
You'll grow ragged and weary and swarthy,
But you'll walk like a man!

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