Stopping by woods on a snowy evening

by Robert Frost

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 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.
(1922)



The persona is traveling in woods and is suddenly fascinated by the snowy scenery. Although he didn’t describe the environment in details vividly, the magic is that it leaves plenty of room for us to imagine what breath-taking scenery could make him so spellbound. The atmosphere must be tender and tranquil, and he alone is riding the horse in snow. I think the song’s melody can really bring me to the imagined woods and feel the overwhelming natural universe.

The most impressive point of this poem is the meaning of the last stanza. On one hand, he expresses the allure of perfectly pure nature, on the other hand, something far more important than admiring the enchanting nature makes him keep on traveling. It is true those travelers are not always as carefree as people think. Everyone in the society their own responsibilities to carry, like being a student, an employer, a son/daughter, a husband/ wife or even a father/ mother. We are never really free of roles and responsibilities.

One possible interpretation of this poem is that his desire to devour the beautiful dark woods is meant to be put away in front of his hectic but meaningless life. A strong sense of helplessness is suggested at the last two repetitive lines. This poem nicely links up the loneliness of a bound traveler and the overwhelming beauty of nature.

At last, I would like to say that the journey he has in woods can be compared to a part of our real-life’s journey. How many times did we stop by beautiful encounters, yet we did not stay longer because of certain ‘promises’ or responsibilities ahead of us?