stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening

StoppingbywoodsonasnowyeveningByRobertFrostStoppingbyWoodsonaSnowyEveningByRobertFrostWhosewoodstheseareIthinkIknow,Hishouseisinthevillagethough,Hewillnotseemestoppinghere,Towatchhiswoodsfillupwithsnow.Mylittlehorsemustthinkisqueer,Tostopwithoutafarmhousenear,Betweenthewoodsandfrozenlake,Thedarkesteveningoftheyear.Hegiveshisharnessbellsashake,Toaskifthereissomemistake.Theonlyothersound’sthesweep,Ofeasywindanddownyflake.Thewoodsarelovely,dark,anddeep,ButIhavepromisestokeep,AndmilestogobeforeIsleep,AndmilestogobeforeIsleep.雪夜林畔小驻（译）余光中想来我认识这座森林，林主的庄宅就在邻村，却不会见我在此驻马，看他林中积雪的美景。我的小马一定颇惊讶，四望不见有什么农家，偏是一年最暗的黄昏，寒林和冰湖之间停下。他摇一摇身上的串铃，问我这地方该不该停。此外只有轻风拂雪面，再也听不见其他声音。森林又暗又深真可羡，但我还要守一些承诺，还要赶多少路才安眠，还要赶多少路才安眠。Summary:Onthesurface,thispoemissimplicityitself.Thespeakerisstoopingbysomewoodsonasnowyevening.Heorshetakesinthelovelysceneinnear-silence,istemptedtostaylonger,butacknowledgesthepullofobligationsandtheconsiderabledistanceyettobetraveledbeforeheorshecanrestforthenight.Form:Thepoemconsistsoffouridenticallyconstructedstanzas.Eachlineisiambic,withfourstressedsyllables:withinthefourlinesofeachstanza,thefirst,second,andfourthlinesrhymes.Thethirdlinedoesnot,butitsetsuptherhymesforthenextstanza.Forexample,inthethirdstanza,queer,near,andyearallrhyme,butlakerhymeswithshake,mistake,andflakeinthefollowingstanza.Thenotableexceptiontothispatterncomesinthefinalstanza,wherethethirdlinerhymeswiththeprevioustwoandisrepeatedasthefourthlinedonotbefooledbythissimplewordsandtheeasinessoftherhymes;Commentary:Thebasicconflictinthepoem,resolvedinthelaststanza,isbetweenanattractiontowardsthepullofresponsibilityoutsideofthewoods.Whatdothewoodsrepresent?SomethinggoodorSomethingbad?Woodsaresometimesasymbolforwildness,madness,thepre-rational,theloomingirrational.Butthesewoodsdonotseemparticularlywild.Theyaresomeone’swoods,someone’sinparticular---theownerlivesinthevillage.Butthatownerisinthevillageonthis,thedarkesteveningoftheyear---sowouldanysensiblepersonbe.Thatiswherethedivisionseemstolie,betweenthevillage(or“society”,“civilization”,“responsibility”,“duty”,“sensibility”)andthewoodsthatisbeyondtheborderofthevillageandallitrepresents.Ifthewoodsarenotparticularlywicked,theystillpossesstheseedoftheirrational;andtheyare,atnight,dark---withallthevariedconnotationsofdarkness.