3. Biographical Information
Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson
Date of birth: November 13th, 1850
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland
Name of parents: Thomas Stevenson and
Margaret Balfour, but raised by a nurse.
He entered the University of Edinburgh at
seventeen, but soon discovered he had
neither the scientific mind nor physical
endurance to succeed as an engineer.
4. A Child’s Garden of Verses
This was his first book of poems.
The strongest influence during his
childhood was that of his nurse,
Allison Cunnigham.
He devoted this book to her.
The book was published in 1885.
Most of the poems
reflected early childhood.
5. Winter-Time (Most popular)
Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,
A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;
Blinks but an hour or two; and then,
A blood-red orange, sets again.
Before the stars have left the skies,
At morning in the dark I rise;
And shivering in my nakedness,
By the cold candle, bathe and dress.
Close by the jolly fire I sit
To warm my frozen bones a bit;
Or with a reindeer-sled, explore
The colder countries round the door.
When to go out, my nurse doth wrap
Me in my comforter and cap;
The cold wind burns my face, and blows
Its frosty pepper up my nose.
Black are my steps on silver sod;
Thick blows my frosty breath abroad;
And tree and house, and hill and lake,
Are frosted like a wedding cake.
6. Winter-Time (most popular)
Critics say that the poem is nice
to read around the fireplace at
Christmas time.
My opinion of the poem was that I
love it. I enjoy the phases he uses
like fiery sleepy-head, by the cold
candle, and frosty pepper up my
nose. And I think winter time is a
great time of year. You can just
picture and feel the warm fire and
7. Bed in Summer (favorite poem)
In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.
I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.
And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?
8. Bed in Summer (favorite poem)
I liked this poem the most because I
don’t like waking up before the sun
does. And it is still not an enjoyable
thing to do. Also remember when I
was a child and wanted to play
outside still but my mom wanted me
in since I had a bedtime.
9. Poem in the Poet’s Style
Riding little sparkly bikes a-hoy!
Shining rainbows in the sunlight
See me sailing away with joy
Off running and sailing the kite
We shall have to splash in the cool
wading pool
Sandwiches anyone?
~Sheen Hunter.
Feb/21/08
10. Analysis of Capturing a Poet’s
Style
What I have discovered when trying
to recreate the poet’s style was I must
think back when I was a child and put
myself in that mind frame.
I like that he can take the feel of the
moment and make me be their with
him. I believe that is be a challenging
thing to try to duplicate.
11. Bibliography/Credits
World Wide Web:
http://who2.com/ask/robertlouisstevenson.html
http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/stevensonbio.html
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/rlsteven.htm
http://www.robertlouisstevenson.org.uk/
http://bartleby.com/people/StvnsnR.html
http://www.lone-star.net/mall/literature/rls/
http://www.nurseryrhymesonline.com/winter_time-
3762.php
Book:
A Child’s Garden of Verses by R.L.S.
