"The Swing" by Robert Louis Stevenson is a three-stanza poem divided into four-line groupings, or quatrains. These quatrains adhere to a structured rhyme system that follows the pattern ABAB CDCD EFEF. It is common for a rhyme system to exist inside the text of children's poetry. The swing itself is an important element in the poem; it serves as both a metaphor and a physical representation of change and transformation. Swinging things have been used throughout history to communicate ideas and feelings. In "The Swing", Robert Louis Stevenson uses this ancient tradition to express the joy one feels after making a big decision. The poem begins with the line "A new thing has come unto me". This means that something new has happened to the speaker (i.e., himself). He has made a decision, and this decision causes him to feel joyful because it is new and different from what he had before - which is nothing. The next line states that this new thing has brought about a change in the speaker: "A fresh wind bloweth where no wind cometh". Here, the poet is saying that the new thing that has happened to him brings about a transformation - he becomes someone new. This new person is happy because she knows what kind of life she wants, even though she does not know how to get there yet.