The Aim Was Song
The Aim Was Song - meaning Summary
Song Shapes Wild Wind
The poem presents a simple allegory: wind originally blows wild and untaught until a human shapes it into song. Frost contrasts raw natural force with measured human control, showing how speech and music channel and refine what is already present in nature. Images of taking the wind into the mouth, changing its direction, and blowing by measure suggest the poet’s craft—discipline and attention turn roar into purposeful voice. The recurring line "The aim was song" emphasizes intention: art realizes and clarifies nature’s potential rather than wholly replacing it.
Read Complete AnalysesBefore man to blow to right The wind once blew itself untaught, And did its loudest day and night In any rough place where it caught. Man came to tell it what was wrong: It hadn’t found the place to blow; It blew too hard – the aim was song. And listen – how it ought to go! He took a little in his mouth, And held it long enough for north To be converted into south, And then by measure blew it forth. By measure. It was word and note, The wind the wind had meant to be – A little through the lips and throat. The aim was song – the wind could see.
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