Thursday 25 September 2008

Robert Frost - Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

(Hedgerow along our top field last winter)


Over on Tomato Soup Cake, Diane's memorable blog, http://tomatosoupcake.blogspot.com/
there was a little fragment of this poem, written as "graffiti" on a downtown wall. I thought it deserved remembering again in full . . . Those of you who visit regularly here, will know of my interest in the Georgian poets who settled for an interlude in the hot summer before WWI, in the villages around Dymock.

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's 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.

5 comments:

Diane Shiffer said...

jennie.. this is just so beautiful all written out, sigh...

you know, when i was a child our family lived in new hampshire, which is the same area that frost hailed from. he was such a beloved figure that we read his work often in school. "stopping by woods.." was a required memorization piece for us in fifth grade. the lines walks through my head so often still and i never tire of them. it was such a joy to read them here...

Bovey Belle said...

I love poetry. I love literature. I love words, and reading them, and feeling their meaning. Frost had a very special talent. Try some of Thomas Hardy's poetry too - he was of an earlier time than Frost, but I feel they both came from the same place, in the poetical sense. Try his "The Darkling Thrush." Hang on, I'll try and find it for you . . .

Arlene G said...

That is one of my favorite poems Jennie...glad to see Itsy looking better.

LBP said...

I love that poem! One of my favorites.

BTW- I really like that old butter churn. Have you ever made butter? My grandmother used to and I loved to take it out of the butter mold and see the design on top.

Blessings

Linda

Bovey Belle said...

Linda - yes I do make butter, but in the Kenwood mixer and not my big old butter churn - that would take a gallon of milk at a time I think! I bought a lovely French butter mould recently, but have yet to try that out yet.

Arlene - Itsy is getting cheeky again now that she has the proper balance of nutrients!