The Vagabond - Class 7 English

Summary of the poem

R.L. Stevenson's poem "The Vagabond" is about the life of a vagabond(wanderer). The narrator wants to live a carefree life amidst the heaven, the land, the birds, the river. He does not yearn for wealth, friends, love, hope. He stresses repeatedly that he only wants the heaven above and the road below him, so that he can go places without worrying about the comforts of life. Nothing can reduce his spirit of wandering. He speaks of harsh conditions in autumn and winter but these also cannot deter his yearn to be on road. He knows that he would die sooner or later but he as long as he is alive he only treausres to live his life on road, with heaven above and the road below.

Stanza wise Explanation

1^st Stanza

In the first stanza the narrator tells that he wants a carefree life and all he wants to do is travel from one place to another. He wants the great outdoors, with the sky as his roof and a road to travel. He wants his bed in the bush so that he can see the stars. The narrator wants a humble life and is happy to dip the bread in the river instead of cup of tea or coffe and this is the type of life he wants forever

2^nd Stanza

The narrator here says that even though the misfortunes of life may come to him still he wants to be carefree. He is ready to face difficulties along his path but he will not stop wandering around nature. He does nto want riches, love or friend. He only wants the sky/heaven above and the road below him.

3^rd Stanza

This stanza tells about the hardships of life staying outdoors in autumn and in winter. He says that let the leaves of autumn fall on him that represents the beginning of old age. In autumn, the field looks barren as the leaves have withered off trees. The birds around are silent and are no longer singing on the trees. The cold is severe in winter that blood freezes and fingers turn blue. The fields are snow laden. The fireside is the only place that can give some warmth and relief. However, the narrator further states that even such harsh conditions will not stop him from living in the open because all he years is freedom from anything else.

4^th Stanza

Same as second stanza.

Meaning of difficult words

Vagabond - Wanderer

Lave - A stream or a rivulet

Jolly - Merry

Nigh - Near, beside

Dip - To immerse

Seek - Look for

Afield - In the field

Linger - To remain for a long time

Haven - A safe place

Yield - Surrender

Questions and Answers

1. What does the vagabond ask for in the first stanza of the poem?

Ans. The vagabond asks for a simple and worthy life that he loves. A life that is not bound to material wealth or wordly pleasures. The vagabond wants the sky as his roof and a road to travel. He prefers to sleep in a bush in the open green fields of nature so that he can see the stars at night. He loves a humble life and is happy to dip his bread in the river instead of a cop of tea or coffee.

2. What does the vagabon not wish for?

Ans. The vagabond does not wish for any wealth of the world or any material benefits. He also does not wish for a friend to know him nor does he hope for love. He only wants the natural surroundings and the heavenly bodies to be with him throughout his existence on earth.

3. What does he say about autumn and winter?

Ans. The vagabond talks about the harsh conditions in autumn and winter that he may have to face while living in the open nature. He wishes that the autumn leaves would fall upon him when he is in the white field covered in frost and snow. In winter, he wants to bite his finger which has turned blue because of the severe cold. He states that even in these harsh conditions he would not stop wandering because he desires this free life with nature.

4. What do you think of the life of a vagabond? Would you desire such life for yourself?

Ans. A vagabond is a wanderer who has no roof over his head. He probably would have no friends, wealth, love. He would have to face the harsh conditions living a nomadic life, there would be many obstacles, hurdles paving in his way of life. I would not desire such a life as for me friends, love, emotions, comfort of of my home matters.

5. What kind of imagery do you think the vagabond evokes when he talks about his ideal life?

Ans. The vagabond evokes images or clear skies, starry nights, dipping bread in river, a road that is unending and takes him to places, autumn leaves falling, open fields covered with leaves in autumn and winter, warming himself in fireside.

6. Why do you think the poet repeats the lines. 'All I ask, the heaven above/And the road below me' in the second and fourth verses?

Ans. The poet repeats the lines 'All I ask, the heaven above/And the road below me' in the second and fourth stanzas because he stresses on his objective of leading a carefree life. He does not want material comforts or being bounded by emotions. All he wants is a heaven above him and roads to take him to places.

Word Wise

Replace the highlighted words in these sentence with their synonymns from the poem.

Camping by the river with happy little children is a wonderful experience.
He was prepared for the worst calamity.
Dennis was told not to loiter and finish his project quickly.
High up on the hills, this winter the fields were frozen.
The old woman was looking for a safe shelter to spend the night.
The soldiers were advised never to surrender to their enemies.

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