Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
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.
Robert Frost
I read this poem by Robert Frost as part of high school class. On a literal level, this a very simple poem describing the beauty and tranquility of a snow covered trees and appreciating the solitude in the nature. Being grown up in Southern India and not having seen snow or snow covered trees, I was still able to appreciate the message and imagery of the poem as Robert frost’s paints a beautiful scene with his simple yet powerful words. The full impact of the scenery didn’t hit me until I moved to Wisconsin, and then to Northeast of US where there were many snowy evenings and mornings and I always appreciated the calmness snow brought and serenity it created.
The last stanza of the poem stayed with me as its meaning seemed deep even as a teenaged but like an onion, this poem has many layers and meaning of the poem becomes deeper as you peel the layers of the simple lines. The true meaning of the poem didn’t dawn on me until I was walking around one late afternoon in the Finnish Lapland. I don’t know about you but my mind never stops chattering and continuously thinks about various things I need to do, past mistakes and events, worries about the future and everything else under the sun. But on that day, surrounded by snowy woods and not another soul anywhere close, my mind became quite. It wasn’t eerie quite that chills you to the bone but a serene and peaceful feeling that enveloped me. For few minutes nothing mattered and I had no thoughts and no chatter. On a philosophical level, this poem is about the juxta positioning of responsibilities and escaping the realities of the world- a constant struggle between practical and ideal. The snowy woods represent the ideal world of here and now and encompasses the true nature of mindfulness while the bell on the horse is a reality check that draws back to your responsibilities. I have been practicing mindfulness for a little while now and until that moment in the woods, I never truly experienced what it means to be present.
Peaks to Palaces 