Sunday, March 25, 2012


The Sound of Trees
Robert Frost
I wonder about the trees.
Why do we wish to bear
Forever the noise of these
More than another noise
So close to our dwelling place?
We suffer them by the day
Till we lose all measure of page,
And fixity in our joys,
And acquire a listening air.
They are that that talks of going
But never gets away;
And that talks no less for knowing,
As it grows wiser and older,
That now it means to stay.
My feet tug at the floor
And my head sways to my shoulder
Sometimes when I watch trees sway,
From the window or the door.
I shall set forth for somewhere,
I shall make the reckless choice
Some day when they are in voice
And tossing so as to scare
The white clouds over them on.
I shall have less to say,
But I shall be gone.

[from Mountain Interval (1916)]

1 comment:

Carlene said...

HI...I believe it was Laure-Ann Bosselaar who did a wonderful workshop on this poem, working from the syllabic level on up, at the FP one summer. I still have the notes somewhere...love it. Thanks for bringing that back to mind!