Lyric Poem · For Kids
My Shadow
by Robert Louis Stevenson · 1885
I HAVE a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.
He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.
“My Shadow” by Robert Louis Stevenson — quilloak.com/poems/my-shadow
Quick facts
- Poem
- My Shadow
- Poet
- Robert Louis Stevenson
- Published
- 1885
- Length
- 16 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem, Rhyming Poems
- Themes
- For Kids, Funny
Craft notes
How this poem works
Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.
- Shape
- 16 lines · 4 quatrains
- End rhyme
- AABB in 75% of the stanzas — couplets. The remaining stanzas vary, often through slant rhyme.
- Line length
- Lines run 13-16 syllables (median 15). No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.
Want the rules this form is measured against? Read what makes a lyric poem, or run your own draft through the form checker to see the same measurements on your lines. How we measure · Report a mistake
Text, source & rights
A traceable edition
Full-text display is based on the cited edition and a United States term-expiry review.
- Author record
- Robert Louis Stevenson1850–1894
- Source record
- WikisourceMy Shadow by robert-louis-stevenson, Wikisource transcription
- Display decision
- Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
- Publication record
- 1885
- Text fingerprint
- SHA-256 b327ac4f6f8013d6…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
Keep reading
Snow Day
The QuillOak Editors
8 lines · lyric
Roses Are Red (The Dog Ate My First Draft)
The QuillOak Editors
4 lines · roses are red
Roses Are Red (Broccoli's Green)
The QuillOak Editors
4 lines · roses are red