Sunday Poem: The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
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The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
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3 Responses to “Sunday Poem: The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost”
“just as fair” Why? This is the part of the poem that makes me ponder. Why would it be just as fair? It was equally attractive to Frost. How many times are we faced with two choices that are ‘just as fair’? I wonder what method of decision making Frost implemented to make his final choice in a situation where ‘just as fair’ hung in the balance.
Comment made on February 14th, 2010 at 12:04 pmThis poem is a favorite of mine. The lines confirm for me the rightness of life(God) not giving me all the answers and allowing me to make the choices on my own. The consequences of taking one road or another helped me to increase my wisdom basket so that I could perhaps make better choices next time. I really like the lines “Oh I kept the first for another day….I doubted I should ever come back”. Would I wish that I could go back and take the other path? No, not really, for this bittersweet path has been so infinitely more interesting and perfect for my soul, in spite of, or because of, the difficulties, set backs and apparent failures. Throughout life when I have had simple or difficult choices to make, it has been a comfort to know that wherever I am in life, well, “Here I am” and it is really OK.
Comment made on February 14th, 2010 at 12:45 pmI too love this poem. Its words affirm my existence as a creative being. Each choice we make further creates and reveals who we are; each choice also helps create the menu of future choices.
The simplicity of this poem also contributes to its depth.
Comment made on February 14th, 2010 at 3:57 pmLeave a Comment