"The Wind and the Rain"

The Wind and the Rain

The wind swept in from the ocean,

       And it beat, with a terrible roar,

The helpless waves o’er the tide lands,

       And hurled them against the shore;

And it rattled the panes of the windows,

       And howled at the closed door.

But from over the darkling mountains

       Came downward the gentle rain,

And pressed cool palms on the tempest

       That raged in its passionate pain—

Yea, forced it, conquered and trembling,

       Back o’er the bitter main.

"The Wind and the Rain" printed in The Seattle Times on August 11, 1900, in Higginson's own literary column titled "Clover Leaves." Clipping courtesy of the Ella Higginson Papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Heritage Resources, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA.