One of Robert W. Service's poems entitled "L'Envoi" may be found here:
Vers Libre: L'Envoi
http://www.nth-dimension.co.uk/vl/poem.asp?id=6473
In this poem, Service sums up his body of work. The last section,
addressed to his readers, conveys the poet's hope that he has
succeeded in conveying his love of the rugged Northland:
And so, dear friends, in gentler valleys roaming,
Perhaps, when on my printed page you look,
Your fancies by the firelight may go homing
To that lone land that haply you forsook.
And if perchance you hear the silence calling,
The frozen music of star-yearning heights,
Or, dreaming, see the seines of silver trawling
Across the sky's abyss on vasty nights,
You may recall that sweep of savage splendor,
That land that measures each man at his worth,
And feel in memory, half fierce, half tender,
The brotherhood of men that know the North.
Here are two "dictionary" style definitions of the term l'envoi as it
is generally used in reference to poetry:
Envoy, also envoi:
1. A short closing stanza in certain verse forms, such as the ballade
or sestina, dedicating the poem to a patron or summarizing its main
ideas.
2. The concluding portion of a prose work or a play.
Dictionary.com: envoi
http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=envoi
L'envoi...
1. One or more detached verses at the end of a literary composition,
serving to convey the moral, or to address the poem to a particular
person; -- orig. employed in old French poetry....
2. A conclusion; a result.
Online Dictionary (cached): L'envoi
http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:P4HKb2xY5-QC:onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/L%27envoi/
Robert W. Service, in the poem cited above, is conveying a summary of
his lifelong message (the nobility and wonder of the North, and the
men who love the North.) He is also addressing his poem directly to
the reader. "L'Envoi," fittingly, is the very last poem in Service's
1909 collection "Ballads of a Cheechako."
Below you will find several other Robert W. Service poems entitled
"L'Envoi." In each case, the poem was the final item in a collection
of verses, and its function was to emphasize Service's love of the
Yukon and its denizens. Service often provided a conclusion to the
series of poems in the volume with a "farewell" to the reader.
from "Rhymes for My Rags"
http://www.mochinet.com/poets/service/index.cgi?ListTitles=Rhymes%20for%20My%20Rags&Poem=152
from "Ballads of a Bohemian"
http://www.mochinet.com/poets/service/index.cgi?ListTitles=Ballads%20of%20a%20Bohemian%20(Book%204)&Poem=19
from "Lyrics of a Low Brow"
http://www.mochinet.com/poets/service/index.cgi?ListTitles=Lyrics%20of%20a%20Low%20Brow&Poem=98
from "Rhymes of a Red Cross Man"
http://www.mochinet.com/poets/service/index.cgi?ListTitles=Rhymes%20of%20a%20Red%20Cross%20Man&Poem=53
from "Carols of an Old Codger"
http://www.mochinet.com/poets/service/index.cgi?ListTitles=Carols%20of%20an%20Old%20Codger&Poem=130
from "The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses"
http://www.mochinet.com/poets/service/index.cgi?ListTitles=The%20Spell%20of%20the%20Yukon%20and%20Other%20Verses&Poem=34
Thank you for asking a question that enabled me to revisit the works
of one of my favorite poets. If anything in my answer is not clear, or
if any of the links do not function, please ask for clarification, and
I will be glad to offer further assistance.
Best wishes,
pinkfreud |
