Analysis of Fear Not, Dear Friend, But Freely Live Your Days

Robert Louis Stevenson 1850 (Edinburgh) – 1894 (Vailima, Samoa)



FEAR not, dear friend, but freely live your days
Though lesser lives should suffer.  Such am I,
A lesser life, that what is his of sky
Gladly would give for you, and what of praise.
Step, without trouble, down the sunlit ways.
We that have touched your raiment, are made whole
From all the selfish cankers of man's soul,
And we would see you happy, dear, or die.
Therefore be brave, and therefore, dear, be free;
Try all things resolutely, till the best,
Out of all lesser betters, you shall find;
And we, who have learned greatness from you, we,
Your lovers, with a still, contented mind,
See you well anchored in some port of rest.


Scheme ABBAACCBDEFDFE
Poetic Form
Metre 1111110111 1101110111 0101111111 1011110111 101101011 111111111 1101010111 0111110111 11101111 111100101 1111010111 0111110111 1101010101 1111001111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 628
Words 118
Sentences 6
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 486
Words per stanza (avg) 117
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
108

Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer. more…

All Robert Louis Stevenson poems | Robert Louis Stevenson Books

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