Moral Emblems

Robert Louis Stevenson / Lloyd Osbourne1882

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Chapters: 24

Summary

Moral Emblems is a collection of poetry and woodcut prints by the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson. Between 1881 and 1882, while staying in Davos, Switzerland, for treatment of tuberculosis, Stevenson wrote these short poems and drew and engraved the illustrations himself; his thirteen-year-old stepson, Lloyd Osbourne, then set and printed them. They were first issued in Davos as two limited-edition small books, private "home-made" productions. The volume comprises several groups of work: Not I, and Other Poems, a self-mocking prefatory verse about publication; the first and second series of Moral Emblems: A Collection of Cuts and Verses, five poems each with a picture apiece, telling of a stingy fop, a quarrelsome fool, a monk who is shot, an adventurer who dies, and an industrious pirate, each closing with a dryly humorous "moral"; A Martial Elegy for Some Lead Soldiers; The Graver and the Pen: or, Scenes from Nature, with Appropriate Verses (including "The Precarious Mill," "The Disputatious Pines," "The Tramps," "The Foolhardy Geographer," and "The Angler and the Clown"); and the Moral Tales, "Robin and Ben: or, The Pirate and the Apothecary" and "The Builder's Doom." The work pairs wood-engraving-style illustrations with rhyming verses parodying moral primers; the tone is playful and sardonic, ostensibly moral instruction but in fact teasing didacticism itself, and it reflects Stevenson's interest in the relationship between word and image. A collected edition appeared in 1921 and has become the most widely circulated version of the book.

Editor's review

很多人知道史蒂文森写《金银岛》和《化身博士》，却不知道他还有这样一本几乎全凭双手做出来的小书：诗是他写的，图是他画、他刻的，连印制都由十三岁的继子劳埃德·奥斯本在一间瑞士山间小屋里完成。1882年达沃斯初版只印了极少几册，如今是藏书家竞相追逐的珍品；今天我们容易读到的1921年合集，正是把这些小册子汇于一编的版本。它的可爱之处在于“反道德”。书名摆出一副老派箴言集的架势，翻开却是押韵的打油诗配着朴拙又机巧的木刻：赶路的体面人绕着乞丐走开，诗人只说“他死后会后悔”；修士进林子散步被射穿后背，于是得出“修士不该在林间散步”的结论。正经的训诫腔调被顽皮地挪用，读者一边笑，一边明白作者对“教训”本身的态度。对读图时代的读者，这本书还有一个额外入口：它是史蒂文森思考文字与图像如何互相拆台、互相成全的实验室。篇幅短、门槛低，一个晚上就能读完，却值得反复翻看——尤其是那些木刻，越看越有味道。适合想要认识一个更松弛、更俏皮的史蒂文森的人。

Who it's for

A good fit for

喜欢史蒂文森小说，想读他另一面作品的读者
对木刻版画、手工书与书籍艺术感兴趣的读者
喜欢短小讽喻诗、英诗入门阅读的读者
研究19世纪图文关系与儿童文学的学者学生

Not a good fit for

期待读到《金银岛》式冒险长篇故事的读者
需要现成中文译文的读者：本版本为英文原著
偏好严肃体系化道德哲学的读者

Reading tips

先读《并非我，及其他诗》中的四首小序，了解作者自嘲的写作姿态。
每首短诗先看图再看诗，体会图像与文字如何互相调侃。
把《道德故事》两篇当作短篇寓言来读，留意其中“反讽教训”的意味。
读完可找1921年合集序言（劳埃德·奥斯本作）对照，了解成书背景。

Not I, and Other Poems
Moral Emblems: A Collection of Cuts and Verses (First Series)
I. See how the children in the print
II. Reader, your soul upraise to see
III. A Peak in Darien
IV. See in the print how, moved by whim
V. Mark, printed on the opposing page
Moral Emblems: A Second Collection of Cuts and Verses (Second Series)
I. With storms a-weather, rocks a-lee
II. The careful angler chose his nook
III. The Abbot for a walk went out
IV. The frozen peaks he once explored
V. Industrious pirate! see him sweep
A Martial Elegy for Some Lead Soldiers
The Graver and the Pen: or, Scenes from Nature, with Appropriate Verses
I. Proem
II. The Precarious Mill
III. The Disputatious Pines
IV. The Tramps
V. The Foolhardy Geographer
VI. The Angler and the Clown
Moral Tales
I. Robin and Ben: or, The Pirate and the Apothecary
II. The Builder's Doom

FAQ

这本书最初是什么形态出版的？

1882年在瑞士达沃斯以两册限量小书形式印行，印数极少。史蒂文森本人撰诗、绘图、刻版，继子劳埃德·奥斯本负责印制。如今初版已是珍本，通行的合集版为1921年版。

书名“Moral Emblems”是讲道德教育的吗？

字面上有模仿传统“箴言图集”的意味，但内容其实是戏仿式的押韵短诗配木刻，明面给教训，实际充满反讽与顽皮，不宜当作正式的道德教材看待。

这本书篇幅有多长？

体量很小，由几组短诗和两篇韵文体“道德故事”组成，一个晚上即可通读；文字量有限，阅读重点更多在图文配合的趣味上。

英文难度大吗？适合非母语读者吗？

诗句多为短句押韵，词汇不算艰深，但部分古旧表达和拉丁化用典需要注释。具备大学英语阅读能力、愿意查词的读者基本可以自行读完。

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About the author

Robert Louis Stevenson Author · British (Scottish) · 1850–1894

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist and poet, born in Edinburgh and died in Samoa, and one of the most celebrated writers of the Victorian era. He excelled at adventure narrative and psychological exploration: Treasure Island helped establish the classic pattern of the treasure-hunting adventure story, while Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde uses the idea of a divided self to examine the conflict between good and evil in human nature. Both are staples of foreign literature and world classics lists. His poetry collection A Child's Garden of Verses writes of imagination and everyday life from a child's perspective in fresh, accessible language, and is likewise welcomed by readers in the categories of modern poetry and classic works. Twelve of his works are held here, including English originals and Chinese-English editions.

Lloyd Osbourne Author

Lloyd Osbourne is an author about whom Chinese-language book resources offer only limited information. Two of his works are currently included in the collection: The Wrong Box (Cuoxiang Ji) and Moral Emblems. Because public materials are scarce, his nationality, dates of birth and death, and personal history cannot be reliably confirmed, so this introduction can only focus on the works themselves. Judging from the common categories under which he is listed, his writing touches on literature, foreign literature, and modern poetry, suggesting an interest in crossing generic boundaries. The title The Wrong Box carries a narrative and suspenseful flavor, while Moral Emblems points to moral allegory and symbolic expression, linking his work to the tradition of poetry. The coexistence of these two works also indicates that his writing moves between storytelling and short allegorical pieces. Overall, Osbourne's works lean toward literary and allegorical themes, and his style may combine narrative and symbolic approaches. Readers seeking to learn more about him will still need to rely on further public documentation.