To You, Let Snow and Roses
The poem contrasts two types of beauty: the conventional, fair beauty symbolized by snow and roses, and a more exotic, darker beauty. The speaker acknowledges the allure of the traditional beauty that captivates the masses but expresses a personal preference for the latter. This preferred beauty is described with imagery of nature, such as highland rivers and heather-honey, emphasizing its richness and depth. The speaker's admiration is for a woman whose appearance is likened to the natural, vibrant hues of the landscape, suggesting a deeper, more personal connection.
By Robert Louis Stevenson · First published 1896 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Pastoral Poetry · 128 words
First lines
To you, let snow and roses / And golden locks belong.
These are the world's enslavers, / Let these delight the throng.
For her of duskier lustre / Whose favour still I wear, / The snow be in her kirtle, / The rose be in her hair!
The hue of highland rivers / Careering, full and cool, / From sable on to golden, / From rapid on to pool --
What this Textopian page supports
To You, Let Snow and Roses is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, dated 1896 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
- Date: 1896 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Pastoral Poetry, Symbolist Poetry, Victorian Poetry
- Length: 128 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
Good citation fit
- Work identity for To You, Let Snow and Roses by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The poem's emotional tone, personal expression, and vivid imagery mark it as lyric poetry.
- Romantic Poetry — Themes of idealized beauty and nature align with Romantic aesthetics despite the brief structure.
- Pastoral Poetry — The emphasis on natural imagery, such as snow, roses, and flowing rivers, evokes a pastoral quality.
- Symbolist Poetry — The use of symbolic motifs like snow, roses, and golden locks imparts layers of meaning characteristic of symbolism.
Tags
poetic · nature · winter · romantic · lyrical · evocative · symbolic · contrasting · metaphorical · visual · dreamlike · mysterious
More by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Treasure Island (1883)
- The Pavilion on the Links (1909)
- Olalla (1885)
- A Child's Garden of Verses (1885)
- Father Damien, An Open Letter To The Reverend Doctor Hyde Of Honolulu (1914)
- A Lowden Sabbath Morn (1916)
- Songs of Travel and Other Verses (1908)
- Prayers Written At Vailima (1916)
- All works by Robert Louis Stevenson