PoetrySelected 16 Oct 2026
Sonnet I
A poem by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Scottish · English
Robert Louis StevensonBefore 1894
English translation prepared automatically for the Brief. Original sources and creator credits remain the reference.
NOR judge me light, tho' light at times I seem,And lightly in the stress of fortune bearThe innumerable flaws of changeful care -Nor judge me light for this, nor rashly deem(Office forbid to mortals, kept supremeAnd separate the prerogative of God!)That seaman idle who is borne abroadTo the far haven by the favouring stream.Not he alone that to contrarious seasOpposes, all night long, the unwearied oar,Not he alone, by high success endeared,Shall reach the Port; but, winged, with some light breezeShall they, with upright keels, pass in beforeWhom easy Taste, the golden pilot, steered.
The work and its creator
Explore the original at PoetryDB ↗
Creator: Robert Louis Stevenson
Nationality / cultural background: Scottish
Work / edition: Before 1894
Historical public-domain poem. Verse and line breaks retained.
In the source: Sonnet I
Selected for the Brief on 16 Oct 2026. This date records our selection, rather than when the work was created.
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