[One Thousand Characters a Day] Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Dobo Yeohaeng’

Editor's NoteRobert Louis Stevenson is a British novelist famous for ＜Treasure Island＞ and ＜The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde＞. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, he was not only well-versed in Scottish history but also fond of adventure and the sea, traits that are clearly reflected in his novels. Starting his career as a writer in the mid-1870s by publishing short stories and essays, he wrote about his travel experiences in works such as ＜An Inland Voyage＞ and ＜Travels with a Donkey in the C?vennes＞. The ＜Walking Tours＞ (1876) introduced today was influenced by another British novelist, William Hazlitt’s ＜A Walk Alone＞, and records the simple pleasures and comforts of traveling alone. The text contains 855 characters.

To truly enjoy a walking tour, you must travel alone. If you set out with a companion or friend, the walking tour becomes just a name. It ceases to be a walking tour and ends up as merely a picnic outing. Since the essence of a walking tour is freedom, you must travel alone, stopping and going as your heart leads. Only then can you go at your own pace without having to chase after someone with a faster stride or hurry to match the steps of a young girl. You must open your heart to everything you see, follow its texture, and be able to whistle along with the blowing wind. Hazlitt said this: “I have not the slightest desire to talk with anyone while walking. When I am in the countryside, I just want to do nothing and live idly without saying a word.” I believe Hazlitt’s words express everything about walking tours. The quiet of a meditative morning disappears with someone’s voice, and if you start to reason about this and that, you cannot fall into the ecstasy experienced in the open air. When you fall into ecstasy, your brain gradually dulls and then begins to clear, eventually entering a peaceful moment that transcends all stages of understanding.

Any walking tour has difficult moments during the first day or two. Even the backpack you carry becomes tiresome, and you may feel like throwing it over the fence. At times like this, like a Christian in ＜The Pilgrim’s Progress＞, you must “jump three times, then hum and continue walking.” Then your composure is quickly restored, and the energy of the journey returns as if a magnet is attracting its surroundings. The moment you adjust your backpack, drowsiness disappears, and you regain your strength to stride forward at once. There is nothing happier than the moment you take your first step on a walking tour.

-＜The Joy of Walking＞, edited by Suzy Cripps, translated by Yoon Gyo-chan and Jo Ae-ri, Influential, 16,800 KRW