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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. Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” from The Poetry of Robert Frost, edited by Edward Connery Lathem.
But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. This poem is in the public domain. One of the most celebrated figures in American poetry, Robert Frost was the author of numerous poetry collections, including New Hampshire (Henry Holt and Company, 1923).
The text of the poem reflects the thoughts of a lone wagon driver (the narrator), pausing at dusk in his travel to watch snow falling in the woods. It ends with him reminding himself that, despite the loveliness of the view, "I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep."
The speaker says, “But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep, / And miles to go before I sleep.” The poet intends this phrase to have literal meanings, by stating that the speaker is traveling, and needs to cover some distance before getting back home.
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.
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.
The poem begins with an end-stopped line, or a line that concludes with punctuation. Frost establishes a slow, heavy rhythm by concluding the statement “Whose woods these are I think I know” with a period.
The lines, “But I have promises to keep,/ And miles to go before I sleep” best summarizes the essence of the poem. This poem is about a traveler who stops by the woods momentarily and sets out for his destination.
This deceptively simple poem is by Robert Frost (1874 – 1963). He wrote it in 1922 in a few moments after being up the entire night writing a long and complicated poem. The poem uses an AABA rhyme scheme.
May 13, 2011 · 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.
