Robert Louis Stevenson: Collected Poems :: :: University of Virginia Library

Robert Louis Stevenson: Collected Poems

Edited, with an introduction and notes, by Janet Adam Smith

Stevenson, Robert Louis (1850-1894)

POEMS 1869–1879

I Dedication

II.

III.

III After Reading ‘Antony and Cleopatra’

IV.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

XI.

XI Death

XII.

XII

XIII.

XIII Epistle to Charles Baxter

XIV.

XV.

XVI.

XVII.

XVIII.

XIX.

XX.

XXI.

XXI

XXII.

XXII

XXIII.

XXIII The Light-Keeper

II.

XXIV.

XXIV

XXV.

XXV The Cruel Mistress

XXVI.

XXVI Storm

XXVII.

XXVII Stormy Nights

XXVIII.

XXVIII Song at Dawn

XXIX.

XXIX Nous n'irons plus aux bois

XXX.

XXXI.

XXXII.

XXXIII.

XXXIV.

XXXV.

XXXVI.

XXXVII.

XXXVIII.

XXXVIII The Daughter of Herodias

XXXIX.

XL.

XLI.

XLII.

XLIII.

I To The Commissioners of Northern Lights, with a Paper

II.

II To Mesdames Zassetsky and Garschine

III.

III To Charles Baxter

IV.

IV To the Same [Charles Baxter]

UNDERWOODS

BOOK I: IN ENGLISH

I Envoy

II.

II A Song of the Road

III.

III The Canoe Speaks

IV.

V The House Beautiful

VI.

VI A Visit from the Sea

VII.

VIII.

IX.

XI.

XII.

XII To Mrs Will H. Low

XIII.

XIII To H. F. Brown

XIV.

XIV To Andrew Lang

XV.

XV Et Tu in Arcadia Vixisti

XVI.

XVI To W. E. Henley

XVII.

XVII Henry James

XVIII.

XVIII The Mirror Speaks

XIX.

XIX Katharine

XX.

XX To F. J. S.

XXI.

XXI Requiem

XXII.

XXII The Celestial Surgeon

XXIII.

XXIII Our Lady of the Snows

XXIV.

XXIV

XXV.

XXV

XXVI.

XXVI The Sick Child

XXVII.

XXVII In Memoriam F. A. S.

XXVIII.

XXIX.

XXX.

XXXI.

XXXII.

XXXIII.

XXXIII The Country of the Camisards

XXXIV.

XXXIV Skerryvore

XXXV.

XXXV Skerryvore: The Parallel

XXXVI.

XXXVII.

XXXVIII.

II.

I The Maker to Posterity

II.

II Ille Terrarum

III.

III

IV.

IV A Mile an' a Bittock

V A Lowden Sabbath Morn

VI.

VI The Spaewife

VII.

VII The Blast—1875

VIII.

VIII The Counterblast—1886

IX.

IX The Counterblast Ironical

X Their Laureate to an Academy Class Dinner Club

XI.

XI Embro Hie Kirk

XII.

XII The Scotsman's Return from Abroad

XIII.

XIII

XIV.

XIV My Conscience!

XV.

XV To Doctor John Brown

XVI.

XVI

BALLADS

The Song of Rahéro

I. THE SLAYING OF TÁMATÉA

II.

II. THE VENGING OF TÁMATÉA

III.

III. RAHÉRO

The Feast of Famine

I. THE PRIEST'S VIGIL

II.

III.

IV.

I. THE SAYING OF THE NAME

II.

II. THE SEEKING OF THE NAME

III.

III. THE PLACE OF THE NAME

II.

III.

III Youth and Love—II

IV.

VI.

VII.

VII Madrigal

VIII.

VIII

IX.

XI.

XII.

XII We Have Loved of Yore

XIII.

XIII Ditty

XIV.

XIV Mater Triumphans

XV.

XVI.

XVI

XVII.

XVII To the Tune of Wandering Willie

XVIII.

XIX.

XX.

XXI.

XXII.

XXIII.

XXIV.

XXV.

XXVI.

XXVI If This Were Faith

XXVII.

XXVII My Wife

XXVIII.

XXVIII To the Muse

XXIX.

XXIX To an Island Princess

XXX.

XXX To Kalakaua

XXXI.

XXXI To Princess Kaiulani

XXXII.

XXXII To Mother Maryanne

XXXIII.

XXXIII In Memoriam E. H.

XXXIV.

XXXIV To My Wife

XXXV.

XXXV To My Old Familiars

XXXVI.

XXXVI

XXXVII.

XXXVII To S. C.

XXXVIII.

XXXVIII The House of Tembinoka

XXXIX.

XL.

XLI.

XLII.

XLIII.

XLIV.

XLV.

XLV To S. R. Crockett

XLVI.

XLVI Evensong

POEMS 1880–1894

I Alcaics to H. F. Brown

II.

II Tales of Arabia

III.

III

IV.

V Horace, Book II, Ode III

VI.

VI Lines for H. F. Brown

VII Translations from Martial

DE HORTIS JULII MARTIALIS

AD MARTIALEM

AN IMITATION, PINDARIS CAUSA

VIII.

IX.

XI.

XII.

XII

XIII.

XIII

XIV.

XIV

XV.

XVI.

XVI

XVII.

XVII

XVIII.

XVIII To Mrs E. F. Strickland

XIX.

XIX For Richmond's Garden Wall

XX.

XX To Frederick Locker

XXI.

XXI To Master Andrew Lang

XXII.

XXII

XXIII.

XXIII The Family

XXIV.

XXIV

XXV.

XXV To the Stormy Petrel

XXVI.

XXVI

XXVII.

XXVII

DEDICATIONS AND POEMS FROM BOOKS

I To the Hesitating Purchaser

II.

II Pirate Ditty

III.

III The Song of the Sword of Alan

IV.

IV To Virgil and Dora Williams

V To Nelly Sanchez

VI.

VI To H. C. Bunner

VII.

VII To Katharine de Mattos

VIII.

VIII To My Wife

LIGHT VERSE

II.

III.

III To Charles Baxter

IV.

IV Ne Sit Ancillae Tibi Amor Pudori

V Poem for a Class Re-union

VI.

VI Browning

VII.

VII On an Inland Voyage

VIII.

VIII Dedication

IX.

IX On Some Ghostly Companions at A Spa

X Brasheanna

XI.

XI To A. G. Dew-Smith

XII.

XII

XIII.

XIII

XIV.

XIV

XV.

XVI.

XVI To Time

XVII.

XVII Fragment

XVIII.

XVIII Burlesque Sonnet To Æneas William Mackintosh

XIX.

XIX Rhymes to Henley

XX.

XX Epitaphs

XXI.

XXI The Fine Pacific Islands

XXII.

XXIII.

A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES

II.

III.

IV.

IV Young Night Thought

V Whole Duty of Children

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

XI.

XII.

XIII.

XIV.

XIV Where Go the Boats?

XV.

XV Auntie's Skirts

XVI.

XVI The Land of Counterpane

XVII.

XVIII.

XIX.

XX.

XXI.

XXI Escape at Bedtime

XXII.

XXIII.

XXIV.

XXV.

XXVI.

XXVII.

XXVII Good and Bad Children

XXVIII.

XXVIII Foreign Children

XXIX.

XXIX The Sun's Travels

XXX.

XXX The Lamplighter

XXXI.

XXXI My Bed is a Boat

XXXII.

XXXII The Moon

XXXIII.

XXXIII The Swing

XXXIV.

XXXIV Time to Rise

XXXV.

XXXV Looking-Glass River

XXXVI.

XXXVI Fairy-Bread

XXXVII.

XXXVII From a Railway Carriage

XXXVIII.

XXXVIII Winter Time

XXXIX.

XXXIX The Hayloft

XL.

XL Farewell to the Farm

XLI.

XLI North-West Passage

THE CHILD ALONE

I The Unseen Playmate

II.

II My Ship and I

III.

III My Kingdom

IV.

IV Picture Books in Winter

V My Treasures

VI.

VI Block City

VII.

VII The Land of Story-Books

VIII.

VIII Armies in the Fire

IX.

II.

III.

IV.

V The Dumb Soldier

VI.

VI Autumn Fires

VII.

VII The Gardener

VIII.

VIII Historical Associations

ENVOYS

I To Willie and Henrietta

II.

III.

IV.

VI.

NOT I AND OTHER POEMS

I Not I

II.

III.

III

IV.

MORAL EMBLEMS I

II.

III.

III A Peak in Darien

IV.

MORAL EMBLEMS II

II.

III.

III

IV.

A MARTIAL ELEGY FOR SOME LEAD SOLDIERS

THE GRAVER AND THE PEN:

Proem

The Precarious Mill

The Disputatious Pines

The Tramps

The Foolhardy Geographer

The Angler & the Clown

MORAL TALES

I Robin and Ben: or, the Pirate and the Apothecary

II.

II The Builder's Doom

Collapse All | Expand All expand section

V
The Dumb Soldier

When the grass was closely mown,
Walking on the lawn alone,
In the turf a hole I found
And hid a soldier underground.

Spring and daisies came apace;
Grasses hide my hiding place;
Grasses run like a green sea
O'er the lawn up to my knee.

403

Under grass alone he lies,
Looking up with leaden eyes,
Scarlet coat and pointed gun,
To the stars and to the sun.

When the grass is ripe like grain,
When the scythe is stoned again,
When the lawn is shaven clear,
Then my hole shall reappear.

I shall find him, never fear,
I shall find my grenadier;
But for all that's gone and come,
I shall find my soldier dumb.

He has lived, a little thing,
In the grassy woods of spring;
Done, if he could tell me true,
Just as I should like to do.

He has seen the starry hours
And the springing of the flowers;
And the fairy things that pass
In the forests of the grass.

In the silence he has heard
Talking bee and ladybird,
And the butterfly has flown
O'er him as he lay alone.

Not a word will he disclose,
Not a word of all he knows.
I must lay him on the shelf,
And make up the tale myself.