Test Of A Man

The test of a man is the fight he makes,
The grit that he daily shows;
The way he stands on his feet and takes
Fate’s numerous bumps and blows.

A coward can smile when there’s naught to fear,
When nothing his progress bars;
But it takes a man to stand and cheer
While the other fellow stars.

It isn’t the victory after all,
But the fight a brother makes;
The man who, driven against the wall,
Still stands erect and takes
The blows of fate with his head held high,
Bleeding and bruised and pale,
Is the man who’ll win and fate defy
For he isn’t afraid to fail.

It’s the hurdles you mount and the breaks you get,
And the shocks your courage stands;
The hour of sorrow and vain regret,
For the prize that escapes your hands,
That test your mettle and prove your worth:
It isn’t the blows you deal
But the blows you take on this good old earth,
That show if your stuff is real.

– This version is by CARLYLE STRAUB; published in THE SPHINX in 1939