Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost - Poetry: The Best Words in the Best Order - #BlogchatterA2ZChallenge2021

 STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

ROBERT FROST

                                                 Sunset Wings - Bandcamp 

Whose woods are these 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.

                                                                     AllPosters.com

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 sound's 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.

                                                               Obvious State

The Poet: Robert Frost (1874 -1963)

Recently I read somewhere that for many American students, Frost's two most popular poems - Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening and The Road Not Taken - were their first definition of poetry. Today, the two have found a place in text books across the world, and I have myself been honoured to teach them both to high schools students over the years. On the surface, they are both simple and uncluttered, but they have myriad layers of meaning to them.

Frost himself considered 'Stopping By Woods' one of his most influential poems, judging by his words to his fellow poet, Louis Untermeyer, that this poem was "my best bid for remembrance". This was true because the poem found its way into the heart of the world. It was quoted at two important funerals - that of President John F Kennedy and also that of the Canadian President, Pierre Trudeau. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru also often quoted the last stanza, a favourite of his.

'Stopping By Woods' was written in 1922 after Frost spent a whole night writing another poem at his home in Vermont. Once he had finished writing, he went for a walk in the woods, and his most significant poem was born.

The inspiration for the poem is the beauty of nature, the snowy ambience and the grandeur of the trees in the forest. The poet watches the woods fill up with snow, aware that they belong to a person he knows. His little horse seems puzzled and gives the harness bells a shake as though asking whether his master has made a mistake in halting at a spot they had never stopped at earlier.

One can only imagine the serenity invoked by the tinkle of the bell and the peaceful sweep of easy wind and downy snow flake. 

In the last stanza, the meaning of the poem suddenly becomes clear. The journey undertaken by the poet is akin to the journey of life. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, maybe even a metaphor for death, which is the very end. However,  the poet has miles to go before he sleeps, meaning that he has many responsibilities to fulfill in life before he has the luxury of sleep/ death. 

It would not be wrong to say that these last four lines are maybe the most widely quoted lines of all times.

                                                                           Pinterest

As I was browsing, I came across this absolute gem of a video where Frost recites two poems with such apparent ease. As I listened to 'Stopping By Woods', I had goosebumps. Here it is: Robert Frost reads 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' and 'The Drumlin Woodchuck' (1952)

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rebVUgCgSAU                 

                                                             Robert Frost - Poetry Foundation

         This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2ZChallenge2021

       https://www.theblogchatter.com

      #BlogChatterA2Z #BlogChatterA2Z2021