"The Sound of the Trees"
I wonder about the trees.
Why do we wish to bear
Forever the noise of these
More than another noise
So close to our dwelling place?
We suffer them by the day
Till we lose all measure of pace,
And fixity in our joys,
And acquire a listening air.
They are that that talks of going
But never gets away;
And that talks no less for knowing,
As it grows wiser and older,
That now it means to stay.
My feet tug at the floor
And my head sways to my shoulder
Sometimes when I watch trees sway,
From the window or the door.
I shall set forth for somewhere,
I shall make the reckless choice
Some day when they are in voice
And tossing so as to scare
The white clouds over them on.
I shall have less to say,
But I shall be gone.
Why do we wish to bear
Forever the noise of these
More than another noise
So close to our dwelling place?
We suffer them by the day
Till we lose all measure of pace,
And fixity in our joys,
And acquire a listening air.
They are that that talks of going
But never gets away;
And that talks no less for knowing,
As it grows wiser and older,
That now it means to stay.
My feet tug at the floor
And my head sways to my shoulder
Sometimes when I watch trees sway,
From the window or the door.
I shall set forth for somewhere,
I shall make the reckless choice
Some day when they are in voice
And tossing so as to scare
The white clouds over them on.
I shall have less to say,
But I shall be gone.
Frost is comparing trees to humans and the life spent on this Earth. Trees go through many stages as well as harsh weather and in order to survive, they have to get stronger, by growing deeper roots. Humans also go through many troubled times in their lives. They also have to get stronger in order to know how to get through these hard times so they need deep roots as well. These roots can be elements such as moral values and beliefs, as well as knowledge. If your values are strong, you will be able to act like a tree during rough times, bending and swaying (lines 15-16), and always being able to get back on your feet after the storm has passed. Frost also differentiates trees and humans by stating that humans always have choices (line 20) and are able to direct their life onto any path they wish (line 19), while trees don’t have a choice; they have to forever stay in the same place: “But never gets away” (line 11). Humans may always think they are getting stronger and wiser, and start something but never do it, but in the end, the human will eventually die while the tree will continue to stand.
To find more information on understanding this poem, feel free to visit the following link: http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/robertfrost/759/comments.
