Skip to main content

In the poem "Vagabond" by Robert Louis Stevenson, what is the meaning of the line "give the face of earth around"?

That line appears twice, in the nearly-identical second and fourth stanzas of "Vagabond" by Robert Louis Stevenson, and it means "Let me see the ground all around me," or in other words, "Allow me to be here on the earth and see the land stretch out all around me."


You can understand that line better by backing up and looking at it in the context of the entire stanza:


Let the blow fall soon or late,...

That line appears twice, in the nearly-identical second and fourth stanzas of "Vagabond" by Robert Louis Stevenson, and it means "Let me see the ground all around me," or in other words, "Allow me to be here on the earth and see the land stretch out all around me."


You can understand that line better by backing up and looking at it in the context of the entire stanza:


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.

To paraphrase the stanza above, the speaker is saying, "Let whatever's going to happen, happen, including my own death. Give me the land around me and the road in front of me. I don't want to be rich or have hope or love. I don't even need a close friend. I just need the sky above me and the road under my feet." The speaker might be talking to himself, or to God, or to other people around him.


All this makes sense when you consider that the main idea of the poem is a celebration of the life of a vagabond: a wanderer, someone who goes all over the country, living outdoors, enjoying nature and freedom and life itself. The speaker is describing his joyful life of exploration and solitude, part of which includes embracing the gift and the beauty of the land that surrounds him.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more