Preparedness

By Edwin Markham

For all your days prepare,

And meet them ever alike:

When you are the anvil, bear—

When you are the hammer, strike.

Source: The Gates of Paradise and Other Poems (1928)

More Poems by Edwin Markham

The Man with the Hoe

By Edwin Markham
The Cricket

By Edwin Markham
A Lyric of the Dawn

By Edwin Markham
In Death Valley

By Edwin Markham
An Old Road

By Edwin Markham

See All Poems by this Author

Preparedness

By Edwin Markham

About this Poet

Once internationally famous as the author of the poem "The Man with the Hoe," Markham was a popular American literary figure during the first half of the twentieth century whose works espoused progressive social and spiritual beliefs. In contrast to the experimentalism and pessimism that...

Read Full Biography

Preparedness

The Man with the Hoe

The Cricket

A Lyric of the Dawn

In Death Valley

An Old Road

Preparedness