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Moral Emblems
By
Robert Louis Stevenson
Contents
Poem:I - NOT I<=
span
style=3D'display:none;mso-hide:screen'> 3
Poem: III--A PEAK IN DARIEN.. 9
A MARTIAL ELEGY= FOR SOME LEAD SOLDIERS17
Poem: II--THE PRECARIOUS MILL18
Poem: III--THE DISPUTATIOUS PINES19
Poem: V--THE FOOLHARDY GEOGRAPHER20
MORAL TALES Poem: I--ROBIN AND BEN: OR, THE PIRATE AND THE APOTHECARY21
Poem: II--THE BUILDER'S DOOM.. 24
Some like drink In a pint pot, Some like to th=
ink;
Some not.Strong Dutch cheese, Old Kentucky rye, Some like these; Not I.Some
like Poe, And others like Scott, Some like Mrs. Stowe; Some not.Some like to
laugh, Some like to cry, Some like chaff; Not I.
Here, perfect to a wish, We offer, not a dish,=
But
just the platter: A book that's not a book, A pamphlet in the look But not =
the
matter.I own in disarray: As to the flowers of May The frosts of Winter; To=
my
poetic rage, The smallness of the page And of the printer.
As seamen on the seas With song and dance desc=
ry
Adown the morning breeze An islet in the sky: In Araby the dry, As o'er the
sandy plain The panting camels cry To smell the coming rain:So all things o=
ver
earth A common law obey, And rarity and worth Pass, arm in arm, away; And e=
ven
so, to-day, The printer and the bard, In pressless Davos, pray Their sixpen=
ny
reward.
The pamphlet here presented Was planned and
printed by A printer unindented, A bard whom all decry.The author and the
printer, With various kinds of skill, Concocted it in Winter At Davos on the
Hill.They burned the nightly taper; But now the work is ripe - Observe the
costly paper, Remark the perfect type!
See how the children in the print Bound on the
book to see what's in 't! O, like these pretty babes, may you Seize and APP=
LY
this volume too! And while your eye upon the cuts With harmless ardour opes=
and
shuts, Reader, may your immortal mind To their sage lessons not be blind.
Reader, your soul upraise to see, In yon fair =
cut
designed by me, The pauper by the highwayside Vainly soliciting from pride.
Mark how the Beau with easy air Contemns the anxious rustic's prayer, And,
casting a disdainful eye, Goes gaily gallivanting by. He from the poor aver=
ts
his head . . . He will regret it when he's dead.
Broad-gazing on untrodden lands, See where
adventurous Cortez stands; While in the heavens above his head The Eagle se=
eks
its daily bread. How aptly fact to fact replies: Heroes and eagles, hills a=
nd
skies. Ye who contemn the fatted slave Look on this emblem, and be brave.
<=
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IV
See in the print how, moved by whim, Trumpeting
Jumbo, great and grim, Adjusts his trunk, like a cravat, To noose that
individual's hat. The sacred Ibis in the distance Joys to observe his bold
resistance.
Poem: V
Mark,
printed on the opposing page, The unfortunate effects of rage. A man (who m=
ight
be you or me) Hurls another into the sea. Poor soul, his unreflecting act H=
is
future joys will much contract, And he will spoil his evening toddy By dwel=
ling
on that mangled body.
<=
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style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:16.0pt;line-height:115%'>MORAL
EMBLEMS II
With storms a-weather, rocks a-lee, The dancing
skiff puts forth to sea. The lone dissenter in the blast Recoils before the
sight aghast. But she, although the heavens be black, Holds on upon the
starboard tack, For why? although to-day she sink, Still safe she sails in
printer's ink, And though to-day the seamen drown, My cut shall hand their
memory down.
<=
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II
The careful angler chose his nook At morning by
the lilied brook, And all the noon his rod he plied By that romantic rivers=
ide.
Soon as the evening hours decline Tranquilly he'll return to dine, And,
breathing forth a pious wish, Will cram his belly full of fish.
<=
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style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:16.0pt;line-height:115%'>Poem:=
III
The Abbot for a walk went out, A wealthy cleri=
c,
very stout, And Robin has that Abbot stuck As the red hunter spears the buc=
k.
The djavel or the javelin Has, you observe, gone bravely in, And you may he=
ar
that weapon whack Bang through the middle of his back. HENCE WE MAY LEARN T=
HAT
ABBOTS SHOULD NEVER GO WALKING IN A WOOD.
<=
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IV
The frozen peaks he once explored, But now he's
dead and by the board. How better far at home to have stayed Attended by the
parlour maid, And warmed his knees before the fire Until the hour when folks
retire! SO, IF YOU WOULD BE SPARED TO FRIENDS, DO NOTHING BUT FOR BUSINESS
ENDS.
Poem: V
Industrious pirate! see him sweep The lonely b=
osom
of the deep, And daily the horizon scan From Hatteras or Matapan. Be sure,
before that pirate's old, He will have made a pot of gold, And will retire =
from
all his labours And be respected by his neighbours. YOU ALSO SCAN YOUR LIFE=
'S
HORIZON FOR ALL THAT YOU CAN CLAP YOUR EYES ON.
For certain soldiers lately dead Our reverent
dirge shall here be said. Them, when their martial leader called, No dread
preparative appalled; But leaden-hearted, leaden-heeled, I marked them
steadfast in the field. Death grimly sided with the foe, And smote each lea=
den
hero low. Proudly they perished one by one: The dread Pea-cannon's work was
done! O not for them the tears we shed, Consigned to their congenial lead; =
But
while unmoved their sleep they take, We mourn for their dear Captain's sake,
For their dear Captain, who shall smart Both in his pocket and his heart, W=
ho
saw his heroes shed their gore, And lacked a shilling to buy more! THE GRAV=
ER
THE PEN: OR, SCENES FROM NATURE, W=
ITH
APPROPRIATE VERSES Poem: I--PROEMU=
nlike
the common run of men, I wield a double power to please, And use the GRAVER=
and
the PEN With equal aptitude and ease.I move with that illustrious crew, The
ambidextrous Kings of Art; And every mortal thing I do Brings ringing money=
in
the mart.Hence, in the morning hour, the mead, The forest and the stream
perceive Me wandering as the muses lead - Or back returning in the eve.Two
muses like two maiden aunts, The engraving and the singing muse, Follow,
through all my favourite haunts, My devious traces in the dews.To guide and
cheer me, each attends; Each speeds my rapid task along; One to my cuts her
ardour lends, One breathes her magic in my song.
Alone above the stream it stands, Above the ir=
on
hill, The topsy-turvy, tumble-down, Yet habitable mill.Still as the ringing
saws advance To slice the humming deal, All day the pallid miller hears The
thunder of the wheel.He hears the river plunge and roar As roars the angry =
mob;
He feels the solid building quake, The trusty timbers throb.All night beside
the fire he cowers: He hears the rafters jar: O why is he not in a proper h=
ouse
As decent people are!The floors are all aslant, he sees, The doors are all
a-jam; And from the hook above his head All crooked swings the ham.'Alas,' =
he
cries and shakes his head, 'I see by every sign, There soon all be the deuc=
e to
pay, With this estate of mine.'
The first pine to the second said: 'My leaves =
are
black, my branches red; I stand upon this moor of mine, A hoar, unconquerab=
le
pine.'The second sniffed and answered:
'Pooh! I am as good a pine as you.''Discourteous tree,' the first
replied, 'The tempest in my boughs had cried, The hunter slumbered in my sh=
ade,
A hundred years ere you were made.'The second smiled as he returned: 'I sha=
ll
be here when you are burned.'So far dissension ruled the pair, Each turned =
on
each a frowning air, When flickering from the bank anigh, A flight of marte=
ns
met their eye. Sometime their course they watched; and then - They nodded o=
ff
to sleep again.Poem: IV--THE TRAMP=
SNow
long enough had day endured, Or King Apollo Palinured, Seaward he steers his
panting team, And casts on earth his latest gleam.But see! the Tramps with
jaded eye Their destined provinces espy. Long through the hills their way t=
hey
took, Long camped beside the mountain brook; 'Tis over; now with rising hope
They pause upon the downward slope, And as their aching bones they rest, Th=
eir
anxious captain scans the west.So paused Alaric on the Alps And ciphered up=
the
Roman scalps.
The howling desert miles around, The tinkling
brook the only sound - Wearied with all his toils and feats, The traveller
dines on potted meats; On potted meats and princely wines, Not wisely but t=
oo
well he dines.The brindled Tiger loud may roar, High may the hovering Vultu=
re
soar; Alas! regardless of them all, Soon shall the empurpled glutton sprawl=
-
Soon, in the desert's hushed repose, Shall trumpet tidings through his nose!
Alack, unwise! that nasal song Shall be the Ounce's dinner-gong!A blemish in
the cut appears; Alas! it cost both blood and tears. The glancing graver
swerved aside, Fast flowed the artist's vital tide! And now the apologetic =
bard
Demands indulgence for his pard!Poem:
VI--THE ANGLER AND THE CLOWNThe echoing bridge you here may see, The
pouring lynn, the waving tree, The eager angler fresh from town - Above, the
contumelious clown. The angler plies his line and rod, The clodpole stands =
with
many a nod, - With many a nod and many a grin, He sees him cast his engine
in.'What have you caught?' the peasant cries.'Nothing as yet,' the Fool
replies. =
Come, lend me an attentive ear A startling mor=
al
tale to hear, Of Pirate Rob and Chemist Ben, And different destinies of
men.Deep in the greenest of the vales That nestle near the coast of Wales, =
The
heaving main but just in view, Robin and Ben together grew, Together worked=
and
played the fool, Together shunned the Sunday school, And pulled each other's
youthful noses Around the cots, among the roses.Together but unlike they gr=
ew;
Robin was rough, and through and through Bold, inconsiderate, and manly, Li=
ke
some historic Bruce or Stanley. Ben had a mean and servile soul, He robbed =
not,
though he often stole. He sang on Sunday in the choir, And tamely capped the
passing Squire.At length, intolerant of trammels - Wild as the wild Bithyni=
an
camels, Wild as the wild sea-eagles--Bob His widowed dam contrives to rob, =
And
thus with great originality Effectuates his personality. Thenceforth his
terror-haunted flight He follows through the starry night; And with the ear=
ly
morning breeze, Behold him on the azure seas. The master of a trading dandy
Hires Robin for a go of brandy; And all the happy hills of home Vanish beyo=
nd
the fields of foam.Ben, meanwhile, like a tin reflector, Attended on the wo=
rthy
rector; Opened his eyes and held his breath, And flattered to the point of
death; And was at last, by that good fairy, Apprenticed to the Apothecary.So
Ben, while Robin chose to roam, A rising chemist was at home, Tended his sh=
op
with learned air, Watered his drugs and oiled his hair, And gave advice to =
the
unwary, Like any sleek apothecary.Meanwhile upon the deep afar Robin the br=
ave
was waging war, With other tarry desperadoes About the latitude of Barbadoe=
s.
He knew no touch of craven fear; His voice was thunder in the cheer; First,
from the main-to'-gallan' high, The skulking merchantmen to spy - The first=
to
bound upon the deck, The last to leave the sinking wreck. His hand was stee=
l,
his word was law, His mates regarded him with awe. No pirate in the whole
profession Held a more honourable position.At length, from years of anxious
toil, Bold Robin seeks his native soil; Wisely arranges his affairs, And to=
his
native dale repairs. The Bristol SWALLOW sets him down Beside the
well-remembered town. He sighs, he spits, he marks the scene, Proudly he tr=
eads
the village green; And, free from pettiness and rancour, Takes lodgings at =
the
'Crown and Anchor.'Strange, when a man so great and good Once more in his
home-country stood, Strange that the sordid clowns should show A dull desir=
e to
have him go.His clinging breeks, his tarry hat, The way he swore, the way he
spat, A certain quality of manner, Alarming like the pirate's banner -
Something that did not seem to suit all - Something, O call it bluff, not
brutal - Something at least, howe'er it's called, Made Robin generally
black-balled.His soul was wounded; proud and glum, Alone he sat and swigged=
his
rum, And took a great distaste to men Till he encountered Chemist Ben. Brig=
ht
was the hour and bright the day That threw them in each other's way; Glad w=
ere
their mutual salutations, Long their respective revelations. Before the inn=
in
sultry weather They talked of this and that together; Ben told the tale of =
his
indentures, And Rob narrated his adventures.Last, as the point of greatest
weight, The pair contrasted their estate, And Robin, like a boastful sailor,
Despised the other for a tailor.'See,' he remarked, 'with envy, see A man w=
ith
such a fist as me! Bearded and ringed, and big, and brown, I sit and toss t=
he
stingo down. Hear the gold jingle in my bag - All won beneath the Jolly
Flag!'Ben moralised and shook his head: 'You wanderers earn and eat your br=
ead.
The foe is found, beats or is beaten, And, either how, the wage is eaten. A=
nd
after all your pully-hauly Your proceeds look uncommon small-ly. You had do=
ne
better here to tarry Apprentice to the Apothecary. The silent pirates of the
shore Eat and sleep soft, and pocket moreThan any red, robustious ranger Who
picks his farthings hot from danger. You clank your guineas on the board; M=
ine
are with several bankers stored. You reckon riches on your digits, You dash=
in
chase of Sals and Bridgets, You drink and risk delirium tremens, Your whole
estate a common seaman's! Regard your friend and school companion, Soon to =
be
wed to Miss Trevanion (Smooth, honourable, fat and flowery, With Heaven kno=
ws
how much land in dowry), Look at me--Am I in good case? Look at my hands, l=
ook
at my face; Look at the cloth of my apparel; Try me and test me, lock and
barrel; And own, to give the devil his due, I have made more of life than y=
ou.
Yet I nor sought nor risked a life; I shudder at an open knife; The perilous
seas I still avoided And stuck to land whate'er betided. I had no gold, no
marble quarry, I was a poor apothecary, Yet here I stand, at thirty-eight, A
man of an assured estate.''Well,' answered Robin--'well, and how?'The smili=
ng
chemist tapped his brow. 'Rob,' he replied, 'this throbbing brain Still wor=
ked
and hankered after gain. By day and night, to work my will, It pounded like=
a
powder mill; And marking how the world went round A theory of theft it foun=
d.
Here is the key to right and wrong: STEAL LITTLE, BUT STEAL ALL DAY LONG; A=
nd
this invaluable plan Marks what is called the Honest Man. When first I serv=
ed
with Doctor Pill, My hand was ever in the till. Now that I am myself a mast=
er,
My gains come softer still and faster. As thus:
on Wednesday, a maid Came to me in the way of trade. Her mother, an =
old
farmer's wife, Required a drug to save her life. 'At once, my dear, at once=
,' I
said, Patted the child upon the head, Bade her be still a loving daughter, =
And
filled the bottle up with water.''Well, and the mother?' Robin cried.'O she=
!'
said Ben--'I think she died.''Battle and blood, death and disease, Upon the
tainted Tropic seas - The attendant sharks that chew the cud - The abhorred
scuppers spouting blood - The untended dead, the Tropic sun - The thunder of
the murderous gun - The cut-throat crew--the Captain's curse - The tempest
blustering worse and worse - These have I known and these can stand, But yo=
u--I
settle out of hand!'Out flashed the cutlass, down went Ben Dead and rotten,
there and then.
In eighteen-twenty Deacon Thin Feu'd the land =
and
fenced it in, And laid his broad foundations down About a furlong out of
town.Early and late the work went on. The carts were toiling ere the dawn; =
The
mason whistled, the hodman sang; Early and late the trowels rang; And Thin
himself came day by day To push the work in every way. An artful builder,
patent king Of all the local building ring, Who was there like him in the
quarter For mortifying brick and mortar, Or pocketing the odd piastre By
substituting lath and plaster? With plan and two-foot rule in hand, He by t=
he
foreman took his stand, With boisterous voice, with eagle glance To stamp u=
pon
extravagance. For thrift of bricks and greed of guilders, He was the Buonap=
arte
of Builders.The foreman, a desponding creature, Demurred to here and there a
feature: 'For surely, sir--with your permeession - Bricks here, sir, in the
main parteetion. . . . ' The builder goggled, gulped, and stared, The forem=
an's
services were spared. Thin would not count among his minions A man of Wesle=
yan
opinions.'Money is money,' so he said. 'Crescents are crescents, trade is
trade. Pharaohs and emperors in their seasons Built, I believe, for differe=
nt
reasons - Charity, glory, piety, pride - To pay the men, to please a bride,=
To
use their stone, to spite their neighbours, Not for a profit on their
labours.They built to edify or bewilder; I build because I am a builder.
Crescent and street and square I build, Plaster and paint and carve and gil=
d.
Around the city see them stand, These triumphs of my shaping hand, With bul=
ging
walls, with sinking floors, With shut, impracticable doors, Fickle and frai=
l in
every part, And rotten to their inmost heart. There shall the simple tenant
find Death in the falling window-blind, Death in the pipe, death in the fau=
cet,
Death in the deadly water-closet! A day is set for all to die: Caveat empto=
r!
what care I?'As to Amphion's tuneful kit Thebes rose, with towers encircling
it; As to the Mage's brandished wand A spiry palace clove the sand; To Thin=
's
indomitable financing, That phantom crescent kept advancing. When first the
brazen bells of churches Called clerk and parson to their perches, The
worshippers of every sect Already viewed it with respect; A second Sunday h=
ad
not gone Before the roof was rattled on: And when the fourth was there, beh=
old
The crescent finished, painted, sold!The stars proceeded in their courses,
Nature with her subversive forces, Time, too, the iron-toothed and sinewed,=
And
the edacious years continued. Thrones rose and fell; and still the crescent,
Unsanative and now senescent, A plastered skeleton of lath, Looked forward =
to a
day of wrath. In the dead night, the groaning timber Would jar upon the ear=
of
slumber, And, like Dodona's talking oak, Of oracles and judgments spoke. Wh=
en
to the music fingered well The feet of children lightly fell, The sire, who
dozed by the decanters, Started, and dreamed of misadventures. The rotten b=
rick
decayed to dust; The iron was consumed by rust; Each tabid and perverted
mansion Hung in the article of declension.So forty, fifty, sixty passed; Un=
til,
when seventy came at last, The occupant of number three Called friends to h=
old
a jubilee. Wild was the night; the charging rack Had forced the moon upon h=
er
back; The wind piped up a naval ditty; And the lamps winked through all the
city. Before that house, where lights were shining, Corpulent feeders, gros=
sly
dining, And jolly clamour, hum and rattle, Fairly outvoiced the tempest's
battle. As still his moistened lip he fingered, The envious policeman linge=
red;
While far the infernal tempest sped, And shook the country folks in bed, And
tore the trees and tossed the ships, He lingered and he licked his lips. Lo,
from within, a hush! the host Briefly expressed the evening's toast; And lo,
before the lips were dry, The Deacon rising to reply! 'Here in this house w=
hich
once I built, Papered and painted, carved and gilt, And out of which, to my
content, I netted seventy-five per cent.; Here at this board of jolly
neighbours, I reap the credit of my labours. These were the days--I will say
more - These were the grand old days of yore! The builder laboured day and
night; He watched that every brick was right:The decent men their utmost di=
d;
And the house rose--a pyramid! These were the days, our provost knows, When
forty streets and crescents rose, The fruits of my creative noddle, All mor=
e or
less upon a model, Neat and commodious, cheap and dry, A perfect pleasure to
the eye! I found this quite a country quarter; I leave it solid lath and
mortar. In all, I was the single actor - And am this city's benefactor! Sin=
ce
then, alas! both thing and name, Shoddy across the ocean came - Shoddy that=
can
the eye bewilder And makes me blush to meet a builder! Had this good house,=
in
frame or fixture, Been tempered by the least admixture Of that discreditable
shoddy, Should we to-day compound our toddy, Or gaily marry song and laught=
er
Below its sempiternal rafter? Not so!' the Deacon cried.The mansion Had mar=
ked
his fatuous expansion. The years were full, the house was fated, The rotten
structure crepitated!A moment, and the silent guests Sat pallid as their di=
nner
vests. A moment more and, root and branch, That mansion fell in avalanche,
Story on story, floor on floor, Roof, wall and window, joist and door, Dead
weight of damnable disaster, A cataclysm of lath and plaster.SILOAM DID NOT
CHOOSE A SINNER - ALL WERE NOT BUILDERS AT THE DINNER.