Underwoods (1887) is a collection of poems by Robert Louis Stevenson, in English and in Scots. It includes Requiem, the short poem he wrote for his own grave, which was later carved on his tomb in Samoa.
Two books in one
The first book gathers poems in English, many addressed to friends, doctors and family; the second book contains poems in the Scots dialect of the Lowlands.
The title is borrowed from Ben Jonson, who had given the same name to a collection of his own poems.
Requiem
Stevenson wrote Requiem during an illness in 1880, imagining his own epitaph under the wide and starry sky.
When he died in Samoa in 1894, he was buried on top of Mount Vaea, and the poem was carved on his tomb.
A poet of friendship
The dedication thanks the doctors who had treated him in many countries, and several poems are letters in verse to friends such as Henry James and W. E. Henley.
The book shows a gentler side of the author of Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Anecdotes
A misquoted epitaph
Requiem is often misquoted with the word 'the' before 'sea'; Stevenson's own line has no article, and the error is even found on some memorials.
Carried up the mountain
Samoan chiefs cut a path through the forest so that Stevenson's coffin could be carried up Mount Vaea, where he had wished to be buried.
Frequently asked questions
What is Requiem?
A short poem Stevenson wrote as his own epitaph, carved on his tomb in Samoa.
Where does the title Underwoods come from?
From Ben Jonson, who used it for a collection of his poems.
In which languages are the poems?
English and Scots.