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Read the poem aloud.
Failure is a rocky hill:
Climb it! Climb it with a will!
Failure is a broken bone:
Set it! Grin, and do not groan!
Failure is a tangled string:
Puzzle out the knotted thing!
Failure is a river swift:
Swim it! Swim, and do not drift!
Failure is a black morass:
Cross it! There are tufts of grass!
Failure is a treacherous pit:
Scramble! Clamber out of it!
Failure is an inky night:
puzzle out: to find a solution to of
Sing! Expect the morning light! difficult problem by careful thinking
morass: an area of low soft wet marshy
land
treacherous: dangerous
Failure is an ugly coal: scramble: to move somewhere quickly
clamber: to move or climb with
Fuse it to a diamond soul! difficulty, usually using both your hands
and feet
— Amos Russel Wells inky: (here) dark
About the Poet
Amos Russel Wells (1862-1933) was born in New York. He was a professor of Greek and geology for eight years,
and then, an editor in Boston. He was a prolific author, with no less than 63 titles being credited to him. His
works include juvenile fiction and poetry.
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