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.
Robert Louis Stevenson