"Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening"

"Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening"

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.

Frost is talking about how beautiful the woods are especially when they fill up with snow. However, as beautiful as the snowy woods may be, he must continue home because there are many other responsibilities in this long life that he must complete. This poem is believed to relate back to a Christmas that Frost couldn’t afford gifts for his children. Frost sat in the woods not wanting to move because of his ordeal, however, he realized that he had to go do something for his kids because he made promises to them that knew he had to fulfill.