The speaker of Stevenson's poem gives the same main reason for being a vagabond that other famous vagabonds have given as well. That reason is contentment. Vagabonds, including the speaker of the poem, seem to be able to find happiness in peace through the solitary life of a man walking through nature. They have few possessions, yet that is precisely what helps them be happy. It's less to worry about.
All I seek, the...
The speaker of Stevenson's poem gives the same main reason for being a vagabond that other famous vagabonds have given as well. That reason is contentment. Vagabonds, including the speaker of the poem, seem to be able to find happiness in peace through the solitary life of a man walking through nature. They have few possessions, yet that is precisely what helps them be happy. It's less to worry about.
All I seek, the heaven above
And the road below me.
The solitary life of a vagabond has a sort of spiritual calling to it. While Henry David Thoreau didn't travel around during his time at Walden Pond, he found peace in his isolation. Chris McCandless, from Krakauer's book Into the Wild was very much a vagabond. The book makes it clear that travelling on the road was the only place that Chris was truly happy. The simplicity of his life was all that he wanted.
In addition to a simpler life, another advantage of being a vagabond is the proximity to nature. They are truly dependent on what nature gives them. Because of that, vagabonds tend to have a deeper appreciation for nature than other people perhaps have.
Bed in the bush with stars to see,
Bread I dip in the river—
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