I'm posting this poem of Robert Frost's here for the benefit of all who wish to enjoy it, most especially Alicia.
It's a favorite of mine and, as "lovely, dark, and deep" as the woods described in the text. Oh, and the photo above was taken by my sister-in-law Brittany.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sounds the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
~Steven
4 comments:
First reaction:
I feel just as you said I would. It is a nice poem -almost a lullaby.
More to come. Let me get my highlighter...
The verdict is bleak. I've come up with something, but I think it's rather off track. Maybe what you have will make more sense, and hopefully it is brighter.
Here it is:
The narrator is unhappy with the way his life is going. The poem takes place during the Christmas season which is somewhat ironic given the narrator's shaky faith. He states, "Whose woods these are I think I know." Emphasis on thinks he knows. If he were a strong believer, he would know who the woods belonged to. His house is in the village -the church. The Lord's house. He then says, "He will not see me..." which emphasizes his dwindling faith. It seems he once believed, but he doesn't quite know what to believe in now. He is thinking of death -possibly commiting suicide? But all the time he is calm and confident. The snow signifies the calmness and serenity he sees in death. The woods resemble death. The frozen lake -his past. He is stopping between the two and considering what to do. He stops without a farmhouse near. There are no people nearby. He is all alone on the "darkest evening" of the year. He's never been more unhappy with his life that he is now. It is rock bottom. The third stanza I'm still unsure over. But in the fourth, he states that the woods are "lovely, dark, and deep." They are inviting. Then he remembers that he has things to do still. Dreary things. It's almost as if he's kicking himself as he says, "And miles to go before I sleep." He longs for death because his life is so darn dull.
What do I think this is really about?
A man. He's passive, content -amiable, if you will. And then he meets a pretty face. One wedding and three kids later, her demeanor is changed. She's aggresive, belittling, and demanding. He's happy with what he has. She's disgusted with it. He begins to view death as a wonderful escape. He fantisizes about it. Only he doesn't want an afterlife (believing in an afterlife requires faith). He just wants to disappear. He wants a break from the b$#%!. Yet he is amiable. He knows his duty. He has promises to keep. And so he wanders off sighing in defeat, "And miles to go before I sleep."
As Dad would put it, "Sorry sucker."
*Didn't have a chance to proof read this. Lacy wants attention desperately. Miles to go before I sleep too!!
I forgot to add that he feels as if the Lord has forgotten about him which would explain why he's starting to forget the Lord.
Kings to you Fernand!
You found things in this that I never saw: the whole owner of the woods being God -his house, the church in the village. I'm going to revisit this.
I know that there is something important in "sounds the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep"
Notice the repetition of the w and d sounds calling attention, and evne the pattern they fall in: DWWD-DWWD,followed immediately by a DD in the "dark and deep". Could the D sound be implying Death? I'm wondering as I type.
Mrs. David (who I take to be a good authority on Frost) once said that when Frost uses this form, the last line of the 2nd stanza is ultra-important, like the meat of the verse. In this case, it is "The darkest evening of the year". In that case, the suicidal tendency would be completely supported by that idea.
It's a hard pill to swallow when reading Frost's commentary on the poem, but then maybe that's his creative genius in encapsulating another meaning under all the lovely, downy flakes. I'm loving this. So glad you could share.
I was flipping through some dickinson books at Bookmans, and was horrified to find that some of the most complete compilations didn't have her dashes or capitalization in them. How can people honestly appreciate her stuff and change it before they print it! It just irked me to no end -I shoved the book back onthe shelf with a defiant sneer.
I did find one little old paper-back for 3 bucks that was true to her script. So that will keep me busy for a bit. Now it's your turn. Give me a poem and I'll tackle it, one stanza at a time.
Post a Comment