The Last Mowing
The Last Mowing - context Summary
Published in Mountain Interval
Published in the 1916 collection Mountain Interval, Robert Frost’s "The Last Mowing" observes a New England meadow that will no longer be mown. The poem frames human withdrawal as an opportunity for short-lived, sun-loving flowers to bloom before trees reoccupy the space and cast it into shade. Frost treats abandonment as a natural succession rather than loss, focusing on timing and urgency: the moment belongs to the wildflowers now, fleeting and unnamed. The poem reflects Frost’s habitual attention to rural landscapes and how human practices shape ecological change.
Read Complete AnalysesThere’s a place called Far-away Meadow We never shall mow in again, Or such is the talk at the farmhouse: The meadow is finished with men. Then now is the chance for the flowers That can’t stand mowers and plowers. It must be now, through, in season Before the not mowing brings trees on, Before trees, seeing the opening, March into a shadowy claim. The trees are all I’m afraid of, That flowers can’t bloom in the shade of; It’s no more men I’m afraid of; The meadow is done with the tame. The place for the moment is ours For you, oh tumultuous flowers, To go to waste and go wild in, All shapes and colors of flowers, I needn’t call you by name.
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