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. |
Point of ViewThe speaker of the poem is presumably a man although it is never mentioned which sex he is. As stated in the poem, he is riding along in the snow through the woods with his trusty steed who he seems to care a great deal about, as he empathizes with the horse. As he continues along he contemplates on whether he should stay in the woods on the darkest of evenings, but in the end decides to carry on as he has “miles to go before” he “sleeps”. This shows that this man is struggling with some sort of decision and whether to act on it or carry on - he is indecisive. Repeating the last line acts as his way to reassure himself that his decision is the right one. He is a man of great wisdom and knowledge, but for some unknown reason seems to be unsure of himself. He also seems to have a great respect and yearning to be with nature, yet understands that his responsibilities lie elsewhere in life, meaning that he is a man of integrity and honor. This man is clearly a deep thinker and hides complex meanings behind simple thoughts.
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