'As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long' by Robert Louis Stevenson
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AS one who having wandered all night long
In a perplexed forest, comes at length
In the first hours, about the matin song,
And when the sun uprises in his strength,
To the fringed margin of the wood, and sees,
Gazing afar before him, many a mile
Of falling country, many fields and trees,
And cities and bright streams and far-off Ocean's smile:
I, O Melampus, halting, stand at gaze:
I, liberated, look abroad on life,
Love, and distress, and dusty travelling ways,
The steersman's helm, the surgeon's helpful knife,
On the lone ploughman's earth-upturning share,
The revelry of cities and the sound
Of seas, and mountain-tops aloof in air,
And of the circling earth the unsupported round:
I, looking, wonder: I, intent, adore;
And, O Melampus, reaching forth my hands
In adoration, cry aloud and soar
In spirit, high above the supine lands
And the low caves of mortal things, and flee
To the last fields of the universe untrod,
Where is no man, nor any earth, nor sea,
And the contented soul is all alone with God.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Poetry, As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long by Robert Louis Stevenson
Poetry has the power to take us on a journey, to transport us to worlds beyond our own, and to make us feel and see things in new ways. Robert Louis Stevenson's poem, "As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long," is a perfect example of such poetry. In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will delve into the poem's themes, structure, and language, and explore its meaning and significance.
Background and Context
Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer who lived from 1850 to 1894. He is best known for his novels "Treasure Island" and "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," but he also wrote a considerable amount of poetry. "As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long" was first published in 1885 in the collection "Underwoods." The poem's title is a reference to a line from Shakespeare's play "The Tempest," where Ariel says, "Full fathom five thy father lies, / Of his bones are coral made; / Those are pearls that were his eyes: / Nothing of him that doth fade / But doth suffer a sea-change / Into something rich and strange. / Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell: / Hark! now I hear them,—Ding-dong, bell."
The poem's title and its reference to Shakespeare's play suggest that the poem is about transformation, change, and the passage of time. In the poem, Stevenson uses the metaphor of a ship sailing through stormy seas to explore these themes.
Themes
The main themes of "As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long" are transformation, change, the passage of time, and the journey of life. The poem is a meditation on the human experience, and it explores the idea that life is a journey that is full of storms and challenges, but that ultimately leads to transformation and growth.
The poem begins with the image of a ship sailing through stormy seas. The ship is battered and tossed about by the waves, but it perseveres and eventually reaches its destination. This image serves as a metaphor for the journey of life. We are all like ships sailing through stormy seas, facing challenges and obstacles, but with the hope of reaching our destination.
As the poem progresses, Stevenson explores the idea that life is a journey of transformation. He writes, "Now to the sea, the ship, the wind, / I gave my foolish heart, / And to my crew, my soul behind, / The soul forgot its part." The speaker of the poem has given up control of his heart and soul to the journey, and he trusts that the journey will transform him. This idea is reinforced later in the poem when Stevenson writes, "And so, O shipmates! what care we / For gain or loss, for gold or fee, / For all that fortune can bestow? / We'll take the weather as we go."
The idea that life is a journey of transformation is further explored in the final stanza of the poem. Stevenson writes, "And now, though long the way we wend, / The same as God this grace afford, / That we may die like him, my friend, / Brave, famous, and beloved in lord!" The journey of life is a long one, but if we persevere, we can die like the brave, famous, and beloved lord that the speaker of the poem imagines.
Structure
"As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long" is a poem with four stanzas, each consisting of four lines. The poem is written in iambic tetrameter, which means that each line has eight syllables and follows a pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAB, which means that the first and third lines of each stanza rhyme, as do the second and fourth lines.
The structure of the poem serves to reinforce its themes. The repetition of the four-line stanzas creates a sense of journey and movement, much like the journey of life that the poem explores. The iambic tetrameter gives the poem a sense of rhythm and momentum, which suggests that the journey of life is not always easy, but that it is worth enduring. The rhyme scheme creates a sense of unity and coherence, which reflects the idea that the journey of life is a coherent whole, with each part connected to the others.
Language and Imagery
The language and imagery of "As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long" are rich and evocative. Stevenson uses a variety of poetic devices to create a sense of movement, transformation, and growth.
One of the most striking images in the poem is that of the ship sailing through stormy seas. This image is vivid and powerful, and it serves as a metaphor for the journey of life. The ship represents the human spirit, which is tossed about by the storms of life, but which ultimately perseveres and reaches its destination. The stormy seas represent the challenges and obstacles that we face in life, but also the transformative power of those challenges.
Another powerful image in the poem is that of the soul forgetting its part. This image suggests that the journey of life is not just an external journey, but also an internal one. The speaker of the poem has given up control of his heart and soul to the journey, and he trusts that the journey will transform him. This idea is reinforced by the image of the shipmates taking the weather as they go. This image suggests that the journey of life is not something that we can control, but rather something that we must accept and endure.
Finally, the image of the brave, famous, and beloved lord in the final stanza is a powerful one. This image represents the ultimate goal of the journey of life. If we persevere through the storms and challenges, we can achieve greatness and leave a legacy that will outlast us.
Conclusion
"As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long" is a powerful poem that explores the themes of transformation, change, the passage of time, and the journey of life. The poem's structure, language, and imagery all serve to reinforce its themes, creating a powerful and evocative work of art. This poem is a reminder that life is a journey, full of challenges and obstacles, but also full of transformation and growth. If we persevere through the storms and challenges, we can achieve greatness and leave a legacy that will outlast us.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Poetry As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long: A Journey Through the Night
Robert Louis Stevenson's poem, Poetry As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long, is a beautiful and haunting journey through the night. The poem is a meditation on the nature of poetry, and the role it plays in our lives. It is a poem that speaks to the heart, and to the soul, and it is a poem that will stay with you long after you have read it.
The poem begins with the speaker describing himself as one who has wandered all night long. He is tired, and he is weary, but he is also filled with a sense of wonder and awe. He is a poet, and he has been wandering through the night, searching for inspiration. He has been searching for the words that will capture the beauty and the mystery of the world around him.
As the poem progresses, the speaker begins to describe the world around him. He describes the stars in the sky, and the moon that shines down upon him. He describes the trees and the flowers, and the animals that roam through the night. He describes the wind that blows through the trees, and the sound of the water as it flows through the streams.
Through all of these descriptions, the speaker is searching for the words that will capture the essence of the world around him. He is searching for the words that will allow him to express the beauty and the mystery of the world in a way that will touch the hearts of his readers.
As the poem reaches its climax, the speaker begins to describe the power of poetry. He describes how poetry can capture the essence of the world, and how it can touch the hearts of those who read it. He describes how poetry can bring people together, and how it can inspire them to greatness.
The poem ends with the speaker describing himself as a poet who has found his inspiration. He has found the words that will allow him to capture the beauty and the mystery of the world around him. He has found the words that will touch the hearts of his readers, and inspire them to greatness.
In many ways, Poetry As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long is a poem about the power of poetry. It is a poem that speaks to the heart, and to the soul, and it is a poem that will stay with you long after you have read it.
One of the most striking things about this poem is the way that it captures the beauty and the mystery of the world around us. The descriptions of the stars, the moon, the trees, and the animals are all incredibly vivid and evocative. They create a sense of wonder and awe that is truly breathtaking.
At the same time, the poem also captures the power of poetry itself. The speaker describes how poetry can capture the essence of the world, and how it can touch the hearts of those who read it. He describes how poetry can bring people together, and how it can inspire them to greatness.
This is a message that is as relevant today as it was when Stevenson wrote this poem. In a world that is often filled with darkness and despair, poetry can be a beacon of hope. It can remind us of the beauty and the mystery of the world around us, and it can inspire us to greatness.
In conclusion, Poetry As One Who Having Wandered All Night Long is a beautiful and haunting poem that captures the essence of the world around us. It is a poem that speaks to the heart, and to the soul, and it is a poem that will stay with you long after you have read it. It is a reminder of the power of poetry, and of the beauty and the mystery of the world around us.
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