I suppose a year ago would have been the best time to post about this poem, since that is when we left the rental farmhouse we had occupied for 16 months. But “Farewell to the Farm” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) also captures the mood of the end of summer — something on my mind as I prepare to start the kids’ school lessons next week.
The Poem
The coach is at the door at last;
The eager children, mounting fast
And kissing hands, in chorus sing:
Good-bye, good-bye, to everything!
To house and garden, field and lawn,
The meadow-gates we swang upon,
To pump and stable, tree and swing,
Good-bye, good-bye, to everything!
And fare you well for evermore,
O ladder at the hayloft door,
O hayloft where the cobwebs cling,
Good-bye, good-bye, to everything!
Crack goes the whip, and off we go;
The trees and houses smaller grow;
Last, round the woody turn we sing:
Good-bye, good-bye, to everything!
The Manuscript
The manuscript of “Farewell to the Farm” is held at the National Library of Scotland. (According to their website, Stevenson’s papers were scattered around the world and are now found in many different libraries and archives.)
Publication and Inspiration
“Farewell to the Farm” was published in A Child’s Garden of Verses in 1885. The 64 poems in this collection were inspired by Stevenson’s childhood and he writes in the voice of a child speaking to other children.
The National Library of Scotland says that this poem was undoubtedly inspired by visits to the countryside around Colinton and Swanston, near Edinburgh (where Stevenson was born). For instance, a timeline of Stevenson’s life on the RLS Website mentions a month-long visit to Colinton in 1864.
Musical Settings
Apparently “Farewell to the Farm” has been set to music many times over the years. Here’s one version you might enjoy.
The Swing is my favorite RLS poem . I have often recited it to children, mine and others, when pushing them on swings. Love it!
That’s a good one!
This is lovely poem and very close to my heart as this was one of the poem i learned in my initial days of communication skills…. thanku
Akshat S Pranita
I think this is a poem about death and saying goodbye to a loved one.