Robert Frost

Robert Frost Poems

Robert Frost is one of the most popular American poets of all time. His highly accessible work made him famous in his lifetime and has since solidified his place in American literary history. Read more about Robert Frost.

Some of Frost’s most famous poems include Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Mending Wall, The Road Not Taken, and Fire and Ice.

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’ is about the choices and opportunities in life. The poem highlights the sensation of regret that accompanies all the roads that a person doesn’t take.

'The Road Not Taken' is Robert Frost's most celebrated poem, and it is so popular that most people encounter it in school. This poem about making decisions and maintaining independence is timeless and easy to relate to. As such, it is, and likely will always be, one of the best poems of all time.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I couwld

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Robert Frost, aka ‘nature boy,’ penned this lovely poem, ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ in 1922, subsequently published with his long poem, ‘New Hampshire’.

This is one of Robert Frost's best-known poems. This poem is an excellent example of Frost's penchant for natural imagery and his use of plain English to craft deep, profound metaphors that weigh heavily on the listener. However, its ability to capture the feeling of being overwhelmed is what has made it so meaningful to such a wide audience.

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.

Birches

by Robert Frost

‘Birches’ is one of the most famous, admired, and thoughtful Robert Frost poems. The poem profoundly describes something simple, an ordinary incident, in elevated terms.

This piece is one of the best representatives of Robert Frost’s use of blank verse. The events in this piece are generally playful and upbeat. They discuss the joy that can come from playing in the woods, particularly on the branches of a birch tree. However, this poem explores the limits of human reach, as the tree provides a vehicle to reach beyond one’s typical purview.

When I see birches bend to left and right

Across the lines of straighter darker trees,

I like to think some boy’s been swinging them.

But swinging doesn’t bend them down to stay

The Freedom of the Moon

by Robert Frost

‘The Freedom of the Moon’ by Robert Frost is a poem about humanity’s freedom. It uses beautiful figurative language to define the human experience.

This lesser-known Robert Frost piece is filled with meaning. On the outside, the poet appears to be discussing the freedom of the moon. It can be “tilted n the air” or “shining anywhere” the speaker pleases. It can be “brought…over glossy water” and “dropped…in.” These beautiful images combine to form a longer extended metaphor about freedom, or perhaps lack thereof.

I've tried the new moon tilted in the air

Above a hazy tree-and-farmhouse cluster

As you might try a jewel in your hair.

I've tried it fine with little breadth of luster,

To Earthward

by Robert Frost

‘To Earthward’ by Robert Frost contemplates the speaker’s connection to the earth. As he’s aged, he’s sought out more painful experiences in order to feel the same as he did in his youth.

This impressive poem describes the speaker’s connection to his emotions and his eventual desire to draw closer to the strength of the earth. The speaker describes his youth as a powerful influence, so sweet it was almost too much for him to handle. However, as he matures, he searches for pain rather than pleasure. This strange decision makes sense by the end of the poem, as he seeks to feel something real, turn “earthward,” and know the full range of his emotions.

Love at the lips was touch

As sweet as I could bear;

And once that seemed too much;

I lived on air

A Time to Talk

by Robert Frost

‘A Time to Talk’ by Robert Frost is a poem abut the importance of friendship. Nothing should get in the way of greeting a friend one truly cares about.

‘A Time to Talk’ speaks on the importance of friendship and how nothing should get in the way of greeting a friend who has come to visit. This poem is one of the best about friendship; thus, it has found a vast audience. According to the poem, it does not matter how tired one is or what work is left to do, a good friend sits down and has a “friendly visit” when someone comes calling.

When a friend calls to me from the road

And slows his horse to a meaning walk,

I don’t stand still and look around

Mending Wall

by Robert Frost

‘Mending Wall’ by Robert Frost explores the nature of human relationships. The speaker suggests there are two types of people, those who want walls and those who don’t.

'Mending Wall' is one of Robert Frost’s best-known pieces. It discusses humankind’s desire to mark off territory, doing things like solidifying the boundary of one’s land. The speaker does not look kindly on this way of setting up boundaries. He sees it as barbaric and indicative of a more basic urge which humanity should’ve grown out of.

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,

And spills the upper boulders in the sun;

And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.

Desert Places

by Robert Frost

‘Desert Places’ by Robert Frost is a dark poem that uses a snowstorm to depict universal human loneliness and the inevitable return of depression.

‘Desert Places’ is a typical Frost poem, as it discusses the themes of isolation and loneliness within a natural scene. In this case, the setting is a snowy landscape in which all animals are hidden, and no travelers wander. The land is described as “empty spaces,” which evokes fear in the speaker and makes him think of his own mental “desert places.”

Snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast

In a field I looked into going past,

And the ground almost covered smooth in snow,

But a few weeds and stubble showing last.

Tree At My Window

by Robert Frost

‘Tree At My Window’ by Robert Frost celebrates the speaker’s love for nature. He focuses in on one specific tree outside his window that’s meant a lot to him.

In this well-known poem from Robert Frost, the speaker describes the feelings of companionship he holds for an old, dependable tree outside his window. The image of the tree is extremely important. Just as the speaker has watched the tree, the tree has watched over the speaker. They have been through a lot together and been one another’s steadfast companions.

Tree at my window, window tree,

My sash is lowered when night comes on;

But let there never be curtain drawn

Between you and me.

The Wood-Pile

by Robert Frost

‘The Wood-Pile’ by Robert Frost is a beautiful, image-rich poem. It details a speaker’s journey through the woods and his discovery of a woodpile.

‘The Wood-Pile’ is a lesser-known narrative poem that describes a speaker’s journey through the woods to a strange, abandoned woodpile. A lover of Frost’s poetry will immediately recognize the walk through the woods as an important element in other texts as well. There is a theme of natural exploration, often inhibited or confused by human emotions, throughout Frost’s poetry, and this poem is no exception.

Out walking in the frozen swamp one gray day,

I paused and said, 'I will turn back from here.

No, I will go on farther—and we shall see.'

Explore more poems from Robert Frost

Gathering Leaves

by Robert Frost

‘Gathering Leaves’ is a profound poem that delves into the themes of man versus nature, productivity, and change.

Like much of Frost's work, 'Gathering Leaves' examines the intersection of human life with the natural world.

Spades take up leaves

No better than spoons,

And bags full of leaves

Are light as balloons.

Come In

by Robert Frost

‘Come In’ by Robert Frost is a poem that takes a look at how we as people project ourselves onto nature.

This poem by Robert Frost does a good job of underscoring how well the poet can recreate natural sceneries and their enveloping mood. Often his poems involve a speaker strolling through some liminal space out in nature. This one is no different, underscoring his commitment to creating descriptive scenes that capture both the visual and emotional sense of the moment.

As I came to the edge of the woods,

Thrush music — hark!

Now if it was dusk outside,

Inside it was dark.

A Late Walk

by Robert Frost

‘A Late Walk’ by Robert Frost references the idea that sometimes it really is too late in the year to walk around outside. There, one will find dying plants, hibernating animals, and an unavoidable cold.

When I go up through the mowing field,

     The headless aftermath,

Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

     Half closes the garden path.

A Line-storm Song

by Robert Frost

‘A Line-storm Song’ by Robert Frost is an image-rich poem that depicts love. The speaker engages with its ups and downs while encouraging his lover to do the same.

The line-storm clouds fly tattered and swift, 

  The road is forlorn all day, 

Where a myriad snowy quartz stones lift, 

  And the hoof-prints vanish away.

A Prayer in Spring

by Robert Frost

‘A Prayer in Spring’ by Robert Frost is a poem that asks for peace in the face of a busy, endlessly stressful world. The speaker is looking for peace for himself and those around him.

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

A Question

by Robert Frost

Frost’s ‘A Question’ is a powerfully emotional poem. In it, the poet paints a picture of suffering, pointing to the fact that life itself is filled with scars of the soul and body.

A voice said, Look me in the stars

And tell me truly, men of earth,

Acquainted with the Night

by Robert Frost

‘Acquainted with the Night’ by Robert Frost is a personal poem that deals with themes of depression. It’s told, perhaps, from the poet’s own perspective.

I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.

I have outwalked the furthest city light.

After Apple-Picking

by Robert Frost

‘After Apple-Picking’ by Robert Frost begins with an apple-picker’s thoughts after a day of work. The poem goes on to explore themes of life and death.

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree

Toward heaven still,

And there's a barrel that I didn't fill

Beside it, and there may be two or three

An Old Man’s Winter Night

by Robert Frost

‘An Old Man’s Winter Night’ by Robert Frost is a thoughtful poem about an old man’s solitary life. The speaker explores the aging process and presents winter darkness as a comfort rather than a fear.

All out of doors looked darkly in at him

Through the thin frost, almost in separate stars,

That gathers on the pane in empty rooms.

What kept his eyes from giving back the gaze

Bereft

by Robert Frost

‘Bereft’ by Robert Frost is a beautiful poem that exemplifies a speaker’s loneliness. He uses natural imagery to depict the changes in his life and how he feels about the world. 

Where had I heard this wind before

Change like this to a deeper roar?

What would it take my standing there for,

Holding open a restive door,

Blue-Butterfly Day

by Robert Frost

‘Blue-Butterfly Day’ by Robert Frost beautifully describes the movements of a flock of butterflies. He uses them as a way of describing the cycle of life and death.

It is blue-butterfly day here in spring,

And with these sky-flakes down in flurry on flurry

There is more unmixed color on the wing

Carpe Diem

by Robert Frost

‘Carpe Diem’ by Robert Frost is a poem that encourages the reader to live in the present and comments on people’s tendency to focus on the past and the future instead.

Age saw two quiet children

Go loving by at twilight,

He knew not whether homeward,

Or outward from the village,

Christmas Trees

by Robert Frost

Robert Forst depicts two different types of men in ‘Christmas Trees,’ one who wants to buy Christmas trees and the other who debates selling them. 

The city had withdrawn into itself  

And left at last the country to the country;  

When between whirls of snow not come to lie  

And whirls of foliage not yet laid, there drove

Departmental

by Robert Frost

‘Departmental’ by Robert Frost is a clever poem that presents a satire of ant society. It suggests that the control and compartmentalization in the ant world would not work, or should not work, in human society.

An ant on the tablecloth

Ran into a dormant moth

Of many times his size.

He showed not the least surprise.

Design

by Robert Frost

‘Design’ is one of Robert Frost’s more contentious poems. It was written as a response to the traditional depiction of God as a benevolent, all-powerful being who created humankind in his own image.

I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,

On a white heal-all, holding up a moth

Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth--

Assorted characters of death and blight

Directive

by Robert Frost

‘Directive’ by Robert Frost is about the relationship between the past and the present. It is a very well regarded poem that has been described as “dismaying” and “gratifying.”

Back out of all this now too much for us,

Back in a time made simple by the loss

Of detail, burned, dissolved, and broken off

Like graveyard marble sculpture in the weather,

Dust of Snow

by Robert Frost

‘Dust of Snow’ by Robert Frost is a simple tale of how a speaker’s mood was changed by a snowfall. A love of nature is enough to elevate the speaker into a happier state of mind.

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

Fire and Ice

by Robert Frost

‘Fire and Ice’ by Robert Frost explores a universal interest in the apocalypse. It has always been a phenomenon capable of capturing people’s minds.

Some say the world will end in fire;

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

Flower-Gathering

by Robert Frost

Lovers of Robert Frost’s poems will find ‘Flower-Gathering’ a thoughtful and comforting addition to his “walking” poems. 

I left you in the morning,

And in the morning glow,

You walked a way beside me

To make me sad to go.

For Once, Then, Something

by Robert Frost

‘For Once, Then, Something’ by Robert Frost focuses on the elusive nature of truth. Frost presents readers with the story of a man who finds himself looking through a well from the wrong side.

Others taunt me with having knelt at well-curbs

Always wrong to the light, so never seeing

Deeper down in the well than where the water

Gives me back in a shining surface picture

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