Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - 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.


This literary ballad is written by Robert Frost, employing a iambic tetrameter. It tells of a man who stops by a forest on his way to an unknown destination, and just watches and appreciates the beautiful scenery around him and the softly falling snow. It fits with my theme because it is set in the middle of winter ("The darkest evening of the year"). It is a dark and deep poem. It was written after his son had died from illness not long ago. It is speculated that this poem is a metaphor for his suicidal thoughts, where the woods (dark and tempting) are a symbol for suicide. However, he decides against doing so, as he has "And miles to go" before he can "sleep". The rhyme scheme here is a chain rhyme, AABA-BBCB-CCDC-DDDD.