Whose words these are you think you know.
You’ve heard them in the village, though;
They keep reciting in your ear.
The sights, the sounds, the words, the flow.
The iambic tetrameter, difficult rhyme scheme, and recognizable rhythm are immediately reminiscent of Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. This piece, published in 1923, has grown to be one of the most popular poems in American history (Almanac). Frost named it his “best bid for remembrance,” and today, his audience – whether poetry-enlightened or sadly deprived – have drooled over, devoured and, digested his fine work.
But what is so extraordinary, so fantastic about it? There are no words longer than two syllables and the rhymes are fairly simple. There are four stanzas, four lines each. There is a man, a horse, and a whole bunch of trees. Why do people love it?
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening combines pleasant imagery and a musical rhythm to portray an uncomplicated but metaphorical moment. Some like simple poetry and others favor the complex that blossoms after each layer is pulled back. This poem can do both, thus offering something to the poetry-ignorant folks who might only enjoy the sound and feeling, to the poetry-obsessed who revel in each brilliant rhyme, and everyone in between.
In her dissertation, Alba Newmann states “By reputation, poetry is difficult to access…For new readers of poetry…an over-reliance on that taxonomic codification of poetry’s parts can prove sterile and alienating” (Newmann). This wordy argument means two things for this work. Firstly, there are very different levels of poetry comprehension and secondly, one cannot not dissect, dismember, destroy a poem and expect to fully understand what it is that others find beautiful. That would be impossible, and just silly. However, it is possible to observe a poem, gently in its natural habitat, instead of crushing it under a plastic microscope slide. Enlightenment, not exhaustion, is the goal.
Many people like poems that can paint a vivid image and, unlike prose, poetry often aims to do just that. Caleb Murdock, creator of a popular poetry website, argues that the difference between prose and poetry is purpose. He says, “Prose is communication. Poetry is art…the essential purpose of poetry is to move us with the beauty of its crafted language” (Murdock). In Stopping by Woods, Frost describes an idyllic winter scene, complete with falling snow and the sound of harness bells. His diction choices are purposeful – pleasant, to paint the scene, and simple, to ease the audience, not confuse them. His phrases are quickly descriptive, without being carried away in lofty analysis that can become overwhelming. The woods could be a quiet army of leafy sentinels, waiting for orders from their captain and shaking in their knotted boots. But line after line of that becomes overbearing. Instead, the woods are lovely, dark, and deep (Line 14). Less is more. The average person likes to taste a poem for a bit, strong and sweet, and then let it digest.
The imagery develops throughout the work as well, so that by the close, readers feel content. In the first stanza, the narrator is clearly stopped at the edge of a wood that is filling up with snow (line 4). The narrator has stopped to take a moment to think. In the second stanza the reader collects more details: a little horse, a frozen lake, a dark evening (5-8). Human imagination will embellish these details inside the reader’s head, adding perhaps a crescent moon, or an owl silhouette. The third stanza adds the sound of the horse’s harness bells and the silence of drifting snow (lines 9-12). These two sounds alone are enough to add associated images for the reader. The repetition of the final line suggests endlessness, as if a camera is panning out and the immense wood is dwarfing our narrator until he is a speck (lines 15-16). In only 128 syllables, Robert Frost has illustrated a detailed scene, complete with plot and mood, and just as effectively as any prose.
Another likable feature is this poem’s rhythm. The iambic feet embody a comforting lull like a heartbeat. The advantage of using iambs – trading off between stressed and unstressed syllables – is the simplicity and evenness given. It sets a steady pace. The novice poetry reader finds solace; the expert settles back with a steaming mug. The consistency of Frost’s meter allows that comfort to sustain throughout the poem and afterwards.
Most prominent and impressive is the intricate rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme is AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD and the effect of the interlocking pattern is twofold. Firstly, it entices. It sounds good to the ears, and therefore, to the mind. Readers know what is coming, they just don’t know how, and thus the effect is suspenseful without being chaotic. Secondly, it impresses. It really impresses. With so many word-endings in the language, English is difficult to rhyme in. However, Frost seems to do it effortlessly. His rhymes are not forced, but fitting and appropriate. He does not repeat the same deadbeat combinations, the same painfully overused pairs. He does not seem to change anything about his captured moment to suit a rhymed word. When poets force rhymes to work, they do so at the expense of the overall poem. The audience can tell; the poem would feel foolish and cliché. John Ciardi explains this affect. “One likes to see the rhymes fall into place, but he must end with the belief that it is the poet who is deciding what is said and not the rhyme scheme” (Ciardi 12). Of course, Master Frost does not use exhausted rhymes as a crutch and his audience does not cringe. He avoids this pitfall and readers gobble up his work in gratefulness.
Some people try to force poetry to have a deeper meaning, to shove these beautiful works into little boxes labeled “nice metaphor” and set upon a shelf. There are those who delve into a poem in the hopes of catching something pretty to pin on the wall. Yes, it is a shame. Fortunately, this poem can cater to everyone: the metaphor-inclined who pound on the poem’s door with pitchforks in hand, and the genial aficionado who comes armed only with a bouquet. If taken at face value, this poem describes a moment in the woods, with a horse, and a destination. Nothing more. If interpreted figuratively, one could assign all sorts of metaphysical things to each and every object, taping up signs to make everything a symbol. For example, the woods, lovely dark and deep, could be the end of life. The horse could be some earthly friend reminding the narrator it is not his time. And the miles to go before he sleeps are thus the years he has left to live. Then sleep, of course, is death. But this is just one understanding, borrowed from a class discussion. There are many more. This broad scale of interpretation means there is something that every reader can acquire from this poem, whether it is an intense reflection on life and death or an enjoyable description of a winter evening.
Along with this range of interpretation comes an appealing open-endedness. This poem is draped with mystery, and stirs question in the readers mind: what is the narrator doing, where did he come from, and why did he stop? As the poem progresses, more details are filled in, but there is still much room for personal imagination. Some readers are content with this amount of details, and others are free to fill it in themselves. As John Ciardi describes, this poem “begins as a simple description…but…suggests meanings far beyond the specific description. This movement from the specific to the general is one of the basic formulas of poetry” (Ciardi 7). Again, one sees an opportunity for uncomplicated enjoyment or deep afterthought – whichever the reader prefers.
This poem has survived the criticism of generation. Why? Because it offers something for everyone. The various levels of poetic knowledge, the many preferences of a diverse population – all are satisfied. In the sixteen lines of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Robert Frost has written poetry in which everyone can find something to appreciate. His appealing imagery and steady rhythm, packaged neatly into four quatrains, already have most hooked. The complexity of the rhyme scheme and mastery of word choice have most impressed. The spectrum of interpretation that ranges from a snapshot of time to an allegory of life has most at ease. This poem can be effortlessly enjoyed by all who take the time. At the very least, if the reader is not clutching every last syllable to his chest, he will be reminded of the miles to go before he sleeps and perhaps he will persist. That is proof of good poetry.
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