Songs of Travel and Other Verses

by Robert Louis Stevenson
CONTENTS

I. THE VAGABOND - Give to me the life I love
II. YOUTH AND LOVE: I. - Once only by the garden gate

III. YOUTH AND LOVE: II. - To the heart of youth the world is
a highwayside

IV. In dreams, unhappy, I behold you stand
V. She rested by the Broken Brook

VI. The infinite shining heavens
VII. Plain as the glistering planets shine

VIII. To you, let snows and roses
IX. Let Beauty awake in the morn from beautiful dreams

X. I know not how it is with you
XI. I will make you brooches and toys for your delight

XII. WE HAVE LOVED OF YORE - Berried brake and reedy island
XIII. MATTER TRIUMPHANS - Son of my woman's body, you go, to

the drum and fife
XIV. Bright is the ring of words

XV. In the highlands, in the country places
XVI. Home no more home to me, wither must I wander?

XVII. WINTER - In rigorous hours, when down the iron lane
XVIII. The stormy evening closes now in vain

XIX. TO DR. HAKE - In the beloved hour that ushers day
XX. TO - I knew thee strong and quiet like the hills

XXI. The morning drum-call on my eager ear
XXII. I have trod the upward and downward slope

XXIII. He hears with gladdened heart the thunder
XXIV. Farewell, fair day and fading light!

XXV. IF THIS WERE FAITH - God, if this were enough
XXVI. MY WIFE - Trusty, dusky, vivid, true

XXVII. TO THE MUSE - Resign the rhapsody, the dream
XXVIII. TO AN ISLAND PRINCESS - Since long ago, a child at home

XXIX. TO KALAKAUA - The Sliver Ship, my King - that was her name
XXX. TO PRINCESS KAIULANI - Forth form her land to mine she goes

XXXI. TO MOTHER MARYANNE - To see the infinite pity of this place
XXXII. IN MEMORIAM E. H. - I knew a silver head was bright beyond compare

XXXIII. TO MY WIFE - Long must elapse ere you behold again
XXXIV. TO MY OLD FAMILIARS - Do you remember - can we e'er forget?

XXXV. The tropics vanish, and meseems that I
XXXVI. TO S. C. - I heard the pulse of the besieging sea

XXXVII. THE HOUSE OF TEMBINOKA - Let us, who part like brothers, part
like bards

XXXVIII. THE WOODMAN - In all the grove, not stream nor bird
XXXIX. TROPIC RAIN - As the single pang of the blow, when the metal is

mingled well
XL. AN END OF TRAVEL - Let now your soul in this substantial world

XLI. We uncommiserate pass into the night
XLII. Sing me a song of a lad that is gone

XLIII. TO S. R. CROCKETT - Blows the wind to-day, and the sun and rain
are flying

XLIV. EVENSONG - The embers of the day are red
I - THE VAGABOND (To an air of Schubert)

GIVE to me the life I love,
Let the lave go by me,

Give the jolly heaven above
And the byway nigh me.

Bed in the bush with stars to see,
Bread I dip in the river -

There's the life for a man like me,
There's the life for ever.

Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o'er me;

Give the face of earth around
And the road before me.

Wealth I seek not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;

All I seek, the heaven above
And the road below me.

Or let autumn fall on me
Where afield I linger,

Silencing the bird on tree,
Biting the blue finger.

White as meal the frosty field -
Warm the fireside haven -

Not to autumn will I yield,
Not to winter even!

Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o'er me;

Give the face of earth around,
And the road before me.

Wealth I ask not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;

All I ask, the heaven above
And the road below me.

II - YOUTH AND LOVE - I
ONCE only by the garden gate

Our lips we joined and parted.
I must fulfil an empty fate

And travel the uncharted.
Hail and farewell! I must arise,

Leave here the fatted cattle,
And paint on foreign lands and skies

My Odyssey of battle.
The untented Kosmos my abode,

I pass, a wilful stranger:
My mistress still the open road

And the bright eyes of danger.
Come ill or well, the cross, the crown,

The rainbow or the thunder,
I fling my soul and body down

For God to plough them under.
III - YOUTH AND LOVE - II

To the heart of youth the world is a highwayside.
Passing for ever, he fares; and on either hand,

Deep in the gardens golden pavilions hide,
Nestle in orchard bloom, and far on the level land

Call him with lighted lamp in the eventide.
Thick as the stars at night when the moon is down,

Pleasures assail him. He to his nobler fate
Fares; and but waves a hand as he passes on,

Cries but a wayside word to her at the garden gate,
Sings but a boyish stave and his face is gone.

IV
IN dreams, unhappy, I behold you stand

As heretofore:
The unremembered tokens in your hand

Avail no more.
No more the morning glow, no more the grace,

Enshrines, endears.
Cold beats the light of time upon your face

And shows your tears.
He came and went. Perchance you wept a while

And then forgot.
Ah me! but he that left you with a smile

Forgets you not.
V

SHE rested by the Broken Brook,
She drank of Weary Well,

She moved beyond my lingering look,
Ah, whither none can tell!

She came, she went. In other lands,
Perchance in fairer skies,

Her hands shall cling with other hands,
Her eyes to other eyes.

She vanished. In the sounding town,
Will she remember too?

Will she recall the eyes of brown
As I recall the blue?

VI
THE infinite shining heavens

Rose and I saw in the night
Uncountable angel stars

Showering sorrow and light.
I saw them distant as heaven,

Dumb and shining and dead,
And the idle stars of the night

Were dearer to me than bread.
Night after night in my sorrow

The stars stood over the sea,
Till lo! I looked in the dusk

And a star had come down to me.
VII

PLAIN as the glistering planets shine
When winds have cleaned the skies,

Her love appeared, appealed for mine,
And wantoned in her eyes.

Clear as the shining tapers burned
On Cytherea's shrine,

Those brimming, lustrous beauties turned,
And called and conquered mine.

The beacon-lamp that Hero lit
No fairer shone on sea,

No plainlier summoned will and wit,
Than hers encouraged me.

I thrilled to feel her influence near,
I struck my flag at sight.

Her starry silence smote my ear
Like sudden drums at night.

I ran as, at the cannon's roar,
The troops the ramparts man -

As in the holy house of yore
The willing Eli ran.

Here, lady, lo! that servant stands
You picked from passing men,

And should you need nor heart nor hands
He bows and goes again.

VIII
TO you, let snow and roses

And golden locks belong.
These are the world's enslavers,

Let these delight the throng.
For her of duskier lustre

Whose favour still I wear,
The snow be in her kirtle,

The rose be in her hair!
The hue of highland rivers

Careering, full and cool,
From sable on to golden,

From rapid on to pool -
The hue of heather-honey,

The hue of honey-bees,
Shall tinge her golden shoulder,

Shall gild her tawny knees.
IX

LET Beauty awake in the morn from beautiful dreams,
Beauty awake from rest!

Let Beauty awake
For Beauty's sake

In the hour when the birds awake in the brake
And the stars are bright in the west!

• unhappy [ʌn´hæpi] a.不幸的；不快乐的 (初中英语单词)
• beloved [bi´lʌvd] a.为....所爱的 n.爱人 (初中英语单词)
• upward [´ʌpwəd] a.&ad.向上(的)；以上 (初中英语单词)
• farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)
• resign [ri´zain] v.辞职；放弃；委托 (初中英语单词)
• princess [,prin´ses] n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人 (初中英语单词)
• vanish [´væniʃ] vi.消失；消散；消灭 (初中英语单词)
• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)
• fulfil [ful´fil] vt.履行；完成；执行 (初中英语单词)
• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)
• orchard [´ɔ:tʃəd] n.果园 (初中英语单词)
• willing [´wiliŋ] a.情愿的，乐意的 (初中英语单词)
• infinite [´infinit] a.无限的，无穷的 (高中英语单词)
• wither [´wiðə] v.(使)枯萎(衰弱) (高中英语单词)
• downward [´daunwəd] a.下降的，向下的 (高中英语单词)
• substantial [səb´stænʃəl] a.实质的，真的 (高中英语单词)
• rainbow [´reinbəu] n.彩虹 (高中英语单词)
• plough [plau] n.耕地 v.犁 (高中英语单词)
• assail [ə´seil] vt.猛击；困扰 (高中英语单词)
• highland [´hailənd] n.山地，高地 (高中英语单词)
• vagabond [´vægəbɔnd] n.流浪者 a.流浪的 (英语四级单词)
• trusty [´trʌsti] a.可靠的 n.可信任的 (英语四级单词)
• elapse [i´læps] n.&vi.(时间)流逝 (英语四级单词)
• tropic [´trɔpik] n.热带地区；回归线 (英语四级单词)
• frosty [´frɔsti] a.霜冻的；冷淡的 (英语四级单词)
• boyish [´bɔiiʃ] a.少年的；幼稚的 (英语四级单词)
• perchance [pə´tʃɑ:ns] ad.偶然；可能 (英语四级单词)
• starry [´stɑ:ri] a.星光照耀的，闪亮的 (英语四级单词)
• woodman [´wudmən] n.伐木工 (英语六级单词)
• fireside [´faiəsaid] n.炉边；家；家庭生活 (英语六级单词)
• wayside [´weisaid] n.&a.路边(的) (英语六级单词)