Poem "Travel and Tourism"
By Robert Louis Stevenson
I should like to rise and go
Where the golden apples grow;–
Where below another sky
Parrot islands anchored lie,
And, watched by cockatoos and goats,
Lonely Crusoes building boats;–
Where in sunshine reaching out
Eastern cities, miles about,
Are with mosque and minaret
Among sandy gardens set,
And the rich goods from near and far
Hang for sale in the bazaar,–
Where the Great Wall round China goes,
And on one side the desert blows,
And with bell and voice and drum
Cities on the other hum;–
Where are forests, hot as fire,
Wide as England, tall as a spire,
Full of apes and cocoa-nuts
And the negro hunters’ huts;–
Where the knotty crocodile
Lies and blinks in the Nile,
And the red flamingo flies
Hunting fish before his eyes;–
Where in jungles, near and far,
Man-devouring tigers are,
Lying close and giving ear
Lest the hunt be drawing near,
Or a comer-by be seen
Swinging in a palanquin;
Where among the desert sands
Some deserted city stands,
All its children, sweep and prince,
Grown to manhood ages since,
Not a foot in street or house,
Not a stir of child or mouse,
And when kindly falls the night,
In all the town no spark of light.
There I'll come when I'm a man
With a camel caravan;
Light a fire in the gloom
Of some dusty dining-room;
See the pictures on the walls,
Heroes, fights and festivals;
And in a corner find the toys
Of the old Egyptian boys.
Difficult words from "Travel and Tourism" by Robert Louis Stevenson with their meanings:
1. Crusoes - Refers to people like Robinson Crusoe, a fictional character who lived alone on an island. Here it means lonely people living in isolation.
2. Minaret - A tall slender tower of a mosque, typically with a balcony, from which the call to prayer is made.
3. Bazaar - A market or street of shops, especially in the Middle East or Asia.
4. Spire - A tall, pointed structure on top of a building, especially a church tower.
5. Cocoa-nuts - An older spelling of "coconuts".
6. Knotty - Full of knots; rough or gnarled. Here it describes the rough, bumpy skin of a crocodile.
7. Flamingo - A tall wading bird with pink or reddish feathers and long legs and neck.
8. Man-devouring - That eats or is capable of eating humans.
9. Palanquin - A covered litter carried on poles by men, used for transporting people in some Asian countries.
10. Caravan - A group of travelers, especially traders or pilgrims, journeying together across a desert.
11. Gloom - Partial or total darkness; a state of low spirits or depression.
12. Festivals - Celebrations or events held in honor of something.
13. Anchored - fix in one place.
14. Cockatoos - large parrots with crests.
15. Hum. slow voice.
Paraphrasing stanza by stanza
Stanza 1
I should like to rise and go A
Where the golden apples grow;– A
Where below another sky B
Parrot islands anchored lie, B
And, watched by cockatoos and goats, C
Lonely Crusoes building boats;– C
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCC
Paraphrase:
I want to get up and travel to a faraway place where golden apples grow. Under a different sky, there are islands full of parrots that seem anchored in the sea. In those places, lonely people like Robinson Crusoe live, watched by cockatoos and goats, and they spend their time building boats.
Stanza 2
Where in sunshine reaching out A
Eastern cities, miles about, A
Are with mosque and minaret B
Among sandy gardens set, B
And the rich goods from near and far C
Hang for sale in the bazaar,– C
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCC
Paraphrase:
I want to go where eastern cities stretch out for miles under the bright sun. These cities have mosques with tall minarets and are surrounded by sandy gardens. In the markets, goods from all over the world are displayed and sold.
Stanza 3
Where the Great Wall round China goes, A
And on one side the desert blows, A
And with bell and voice and drum B
Cities on the other hum;– B
Where are forests, hot as fire, C
Wide as England, tall as a spire, C
Full of apes and cocoa-nuts D
And the negro hunters’ huts;– D
(hut: small house, Negro: black people)
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDD
Paraphrase:
I want to visit places like China, where the Great Wall stretches across the land. On one side there’s a blowing desert, and on the other side, cities are alive with the sound of bells, voices, and drums. I also want to see huge, hot forests as wide as England and as tall as church spires, filled with apes, coconuts, and the huts of black local hunters.
Stanza 4
Where the knotty crocodile A
Lies and blinks in the Nile, A
And the red flamingo flies B
Hunting fish before his eyes;– B
Where in jungles, near and far, C
Man-devouring tigers are, C
Lying close and giving ear D
Lest the hunt be drawing near, D
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDD
Paraphrase:
I want to see the rough-skinned crocodile lying and blinking by the Nile River, and the red flamingos flying and catching fish. In the jungles, there are dangerous tigers lying quietly, listening carefully so they don’t miss their prey.
Stanza 5
Or a comer-by be seen A
Swinging in a palanquin; A
Where among the desert sands B
Some deserted city stands, B
All its children, sweep and prince, C
Grown to manhood ages since, C
Not a foot in street or house, D
Not a stir of child or mouse, D
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDD
Paraphrase:
Or I might see a traveler being carried by in a palanquin. In the desert, there are abandoned cities where everyone, from common people to princes, grew up and died long ago. Now there’s no one walking in the streets or houses, and not even the sound of a child or a mouse.
Stanza 6
And when kindly falls the night, A
In all the town no spark of light. A
There I'll come when I'm a man B
With a camel caravan; B
Light a fire in the gloom C
Of some dusty dining-room; C
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCC
Paraphrase:
When night falls peacefully, the whole town is completely dark with no light anywhere. When I grow up, I’ll go there with a camel caravan, and light a fire in the dark, dusty rooms to bring some warmth and light.
Stanza 7
See the pictures on the walls, A
Heroes, fights and festivals; A
And in a corner find the toys B
Of the old Egyptian boys. B
Rhyme Scheme: AABB
Paraphrase:
I’ll look at the old paintings on the walls showing heroes, battles, and festivals. In a corner, I’ll find the ancient toys that once belonged to Egyptian children.
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Summary of the poem:
In the poem "Travel and Tourism," Robert Louis Stevenson expresses a strong desire to explore distant and exotic places around the world. He imagines traveling to islands with parrots, eastern cities with mosques and bazaars, China with the Great Wall and deserts, and hot jungles full of wild animals. He also pictures abandoned desert cities and ancient Egyptian ruins. The poem ends with the speaker saying that when he grows up, he will go on a camel caravan to these places, light a fire in old rooms, and look at the art and toys left behind by people from the past.
Theme:
The main theme of is wanderlust and the fascination with travel and the unknown world. The poem "Travel and Tourism" by Robert Louis Stevenson celebrates curiosity about different cultures, landscapes, and histories, and the romantic idea of adventure and discovery.
Central Idea:
The poem "Travel and Tourism" by Robert Louis Stevenson expresses the poet love for travel, adventure, and exploration. he dreams of visiting distant lands, seeing different cultures, and discovering ancient places.
The poetic devices used in each stanza of "Travel" and Tourism" by Robert Louis Stevenson:
Stanza 1
I should like to rise and go... Lonely Crusoes building boats;–
1. Alliteration: "building boats" – repetition of the ‘b’ sound.
2. Allusion: "Lonely Crusoes" – refers to Robinson Crusoe, suggesting isolation and adventure.
3. Imagery: Creates visual images of golden apples grow, parrots, islands, cockatoos, goats, and people building boats.
Stanza 2
Where in sunshine reaching out... Hang for sale in the bazaar,–
1. Imagery: Vivid description of eastern cities, mosques, minarets, and bazaars.
2. Alliteration: "mosque and minaret" – repetition of the ‘m’ sound.
3. Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds in " sandy gardens", "sale in the bazaar" gives a
musical quality.
Stanza 3
1. Alliteration: "hunters' huts" – repetition of ‘h’ sound.
2. Simile: "Hot as fire", "Wide as England", "tall as a spire" – comparisons using ‘as’.
3. Imagery: Creates a picture of vast forests, deserts, and cities; "the Great Wall", "bell and
voice and drum"
4. Personification: giving the human qualities to non-human things; "cities on the other
hum"
Stanza 4
1. Alliteration: "flamingo flies" – repetition of ‘f’ sound.
3. Imagery: Vivid picture of crocodiles, flamingos, and tigers in the wild.
Stanza 5
1. Imagery: Describes a deserted city and a traveler in a palanquin.
2. Contrast: Life of the city in the past vs. its emptiness now., and "sweep and prince"
shows that both rich and the poor are gone.
3. Alliteration: "by be" – repetition of 'b’ sound.
4. Hyperbole: "not a foot in street or house".
5. Repetition: "not a foot", not a stir"
Stanza 6
1. Personification: "kindly falls the night" – night is given human quality.
2. Imagery: Picture of a dark, silent town and lighting a fire in an old room.
3. Alliteration: "dusty dining-room", "camel caravan" – repetition of ‘d’, 'c' sounds.
Stanza 7
See the pictures on the walls... Of the old Egyptian boys.
1. Imagery: Evokes pictures of heroes, battles, festivals, and ancient toys.
2. Alliteration: "fights and festivals" – repetition of ‘f’ sound.
3. Historical Allusion: References to Egyptian culture and history.
4. Symbolism: "toys" symbol of innocence, and childhood.
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