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Lyric Poem · Love

Since Thou Hast Given Me This Good Hope, O God

by Robert Louis Stevenson

SINCE thou hast given me this good hope, O God,

That while my footsteps tread the flowery sod

And the great woods embower me, and white dawn

And purple even sweetly lead me on

From day to day, and night to night, O God,

My life shall no wise miss the light of love;

But ever climbing, climb above

Man's one poor star, man's supine lands,

Into the azure steadfastness of death,

My life shall no wise lack the light of love,

My hands not lack the loving touch of hands;

But day by day, while yet I draw my breath,

And day by day, unto my last of years,

I shall be one that has a perfect friend.

Her heart shall taste my laughter and my tears,

And her kind eyes shall lead me to the end.

Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.

Quick facts

Poem
Since Thou Hast Given Me This Good Hope, O God
Poet
Robert Louis Stevenson
Length
16 lines
Form
Lyric Poem
Themes
Love, Peace, Nature

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 · one 16-line stanza
Line length
Mostly 10-syllable lines (pentameter length).

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Text, source & rights

A traceable edition

Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.

Author record
Robert Louis Stevenson1850–1894
Source record
PoetryDBSince Thou Hast Given Me This Good Hope, O God by robert-louis-stevenson, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision
Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record
Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint
SHA-256 c24c8d7296f20265
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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