Download Ballads by Robert Louis Stevenson. Narrative poems rich in folklore, drama, and adventure. Available in PDF, EPUB, and MOBI formats.
Ballads Summary
Ballads by Robert Louis Stevenson is a vibrant collection of narrative verse inspired by Scottish legend, Polynesian myth, and historical adventure. From Ticonderoga to The Song of Rahero, these poems reflect Stevenson’s gift for rhythm, exotic imagery, and the art of oral storytelling.
Ballads Excerpt
Short Summary: In this spirited collection, Stevenson evokes warriors, ghosts, vengeance, and fate with poetic force. His ballads are not passive verse but tales in motion—meant to be spoken, sung, or shouted on the wind.
"Green grows the laurel, soft falls the dew, / And the phantom that rides by night is true."
From the Scottish Highlands to the shores of Samoa, Stevenson channels the voices of heroes and mourners, lovers and ghosts. In Ticonderoga, a Highlander hears a prophecy of death across the sea. In The Song of Rahero, Polynesian chants echo with love and sacrifice.
These are not delicate compositions—they gallop, roar, and ring with drumbeat and dirge. Stevenson marries folk memory to poetic craft, infusing the traditions of two continents with fierce lyricism.
"A poem should not just be read," he once wrote, "it should live in the ear and echo in the soul." These ballads do just that.
