Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
on a snowy evening
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - meaning Summary
Rest, Duty, and Temptation
A solitary speaker pauses in a quiet woods on a snowy evening, torn between the immediate, alluring peace of nature and obligations that pull him onward. The scene’s stillness and the horse’s unease contrast with the speaker’s inward calm as he admires the dark, deep woods. The poem frames that temptation to linger—or even to yield to rest—with the repeated closing line that insists on promises and travel yet to be completed. The final repetition leaves ambiguous whether "sleep" signifies ordinary rest or a more permanent, existential sleep.
Read Complete AnalysesWhose 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.
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