Subscribe: by Email | in Reader

The Need of Being Versed in Country Things -- Robert Frost

Guest poem sent in by Deepak Singh

My first real attempt at something like this so hopefully is isn't too bad.
(Poem #170) The Need of Being Versed in Country Things
  The house had gone to bring again
  To the midnight sky a sunset glow.
  Now the chimney was all of the house that stood,
  Like a pistil after the petals go.

  The barn opposed across the way,
  That would have joined the house in flame
  Had it been the will of the wind, was left
  To bear forsaken the place's name.

  No more it opened with all one end
  For teams that came by the stony road
  To drum on the floor with scurrying hoofs
  And brush the mow with the summer load.

  The birds that came to it through the air
  At broken windows flew out and in,
  Their murmur more like the sigh we sigh
  From too much dwelling on what has been.

  Yet for them the lilac renewed its leaf,
  And the aged elm, though touched with fire;
  And the dry pump flung up an awkward arm:
  And the fence post carried a strand of wire.

  For them there was really nothing sad.
  But though they rejoiced in the nest they kept,
  One had to be versed in country things
  Not to believe the phoebes wept.
-- Robert Frost
Commentary and Remarks:

Robert Frost (1874-1963) does not need much of an introduction.  A born and
bred New Englander he won the Pulitzer 4 times and was the first poet to
ever read poetry at a presidential inauguration (JFK's). It was during his
stay in England (1912-1915) that his career as a poet really took off.
There he met and was influenced by such contemporary British poets as Edward
Thomas, Rupert Brooke, and Robert Graves.  Early help in promoting his
poetry came from Ezra Pounds.

A lot of his work is principally associated with New England.  He was a
poet of traditional verse forms whose work went far beyond regionalism.
His poems were often dark and searching, his work infused with layers of
ambiguity and irony.  Someone told me this story about his meeting with
Robert Frost while he was in high school

  "I had an opportunity to spend an afternoon with Robert Frost, who was a
  warm yet sarcastic fellow. I told him thatI had spent two weeks in my
  class studying "Stopping by the woods.." and I told him the complex
  interpretation of the poem that my professor had presented. I asked him if
  it was really possible he had been thinking along those lines when he
  wrote it. He smiled and said that he had read about 8 different and
  mutually exclusive interpretations of that poem, and he enjoyed all of
  them, but asked me what mine was. I gave him something very simple, and he
  said he liked it as much as the others. What he was basically saying, I
  think is that what he was thinking when he wrote the poem will remain with
  him and perhaps even be obscure to him, and how we interpret it is up to
  us. There is no correct answer"

That does sum up Frost very well for me.  The poem in the above story was
not  "The Need ..." but a lot of Frost's poetry can be viewed from a similar
perspective.

Frost was a farmer for many years and a lot of his poetry deals with rural
New England.  "The need for ... " in my opinion at least is a fairly simple
poem and that was one of Frosts strengths; he could show the hidden drama in
ordinary things.  Using New Hampshire as a backdrop, this poem goes a long
way into understanding life and death.  How life always "goes on" in the
country.  The scene is static yet Frost makes it tell a story, a simple yet
heartfelt one.

--
Deepak

13 comments: ( or Leave a comment )

Sunil Iyengar said...

Born in San Francisco, bred in New Hampshire.

Sunil Iyengar

Anonymous said...

Shorter humans mm into Christian Louboutin
as a life-saving straw, from not bad foot; appearance adorableness as the Christian Louboutin Pumps
trend vane. Indeed, Christian Louboutin Boots
for women who are too affluent in meaning, with the alpine Christian Louboutin Sandals
for women aswell brought a lot of pain.

Anonymous said...

Aset anda seperti rumah dan mobil juga perlu diasuransikan. Masa depan anak biar terjamin keberlangsungannya sampai pendidikan tinggi juga butuh asuransi pendidikan. Jangan lupa, masa tua juga perlu di asuransikan dengan asuransi dana pensiun. Pilih perusahaan asuransi terbaik

best vitamins for all said...

The occupation finished up washed-up attained the tangible substance coup job they volition produced. The insight definitely designed sense in standing to image these persons the true specialists.best vitamins for all

huawei p10 plus singapore said...

Your article was good. Thanks for the great site and information keep it up.huawei p10 plus singapore

Termite Inspection West Chester said...

Raspberries, gooseberries, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, and nanking cherries…I share with wildlife and I’m so happy to see bees everywhere this summer!Termite Inspection West Chester

tayyab ali said...

You have done a great job. I will definitely dig it and personally recommend to my friends. I am confident they will be benefited from this site.tree pruning Bronx County

Legal Herbal Online said...

wow very interesting, I like what I read here.location de voiture agadir maroc

Hyderabad escorts said...

Book Hyderabad Escorts 8142734111 | Call girls in Hyderabad

Finding the best female escorts in Hyderabad? Book call girls in hyderabad 24*7 availble. Genuine Hyderabad escorts Call now 814273411

https://www.goacallgirses.com/
https://www.goacallgirses.com/hyderabad-call-girls

hyderabad call girls
hyderabad escorts
hyderabad female escort services
premium escort services in hyderbad
premium call girls in hyderabad

Escorts In Mumbai said...

Nice post, keep it up, keep share such post.
Thanks you.

Post a Comment