Tag: robert frost

That’s what friends are for

by Ninagracia, posted in Inspiration

IN CONVERSATION WITH THE POEMS

Poems by others, read closely and answered in reflection.

These two wonderful poems, which I particularly love and thought worth sharing with everyone, have been gathering dust in my old files.

The Poetry of Pausing

After reading this poem, I remembered that, like everyone else who struggles to put their phone down to talk to a friend, I looked at my busy schedule and asked whether I am a good friend or just busy. Sometimes all we need is a break from the busyness of our lives, and a brief chat with a friend can refreshingly lighten our load. This poem is a friendly reminder to slow down, connect with others, and make time for the people who matter.

A Time to Talk
—Robert Frost

When a friend calls to me from the road 
And slows his horse to a meaning walk, 
I don’t stand still and look around 
On all the hills I haven’t hoed, 
And shout from where I am, What is it? 
No, not as there is a time to talk. 
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground, 
Blade-end up and five feet tall, 
And plod: I go up to the stone wall 
For a friendly visit.

About the Author:

Robert Frost was America’s most celebrated poet, earning four Pulitzer Prizes and serving as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1958 to 1959. His most famous poem, “The Road Not Taken”, explores the theme of choice.

The Poetry of Keeping the Gold and Collecting Silver

There is something magical about sharing history with someone, and a sheer joy in discovering a new connection. This poem is meaningful to me because I treasure my friendships and always welcome new ones. Old friends share our memories and life experiences, while new friends bring fresh energy and opportunities to connect. The poem celebrates the value of friendship in all its forms.

New Friends and Old Friends
—Joseph Parry

Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.
New-made friendships, like new wine,
Age will mellow and refine.
Friendships that have stood the test-
Time and change- are surely best;
Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray;
Friendship never knows decay.
For ‘mid old friends, tried and true,
Once more we our youth renew.
But old friends, alas! may die;
New friends must their place supply.
Cherish friendship in your breast-
New is good, but old is best;
Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold

About the Author:        

 Joseph Parry was a Welsh musician and composer.The poem “New Friends and Old Friends” was written in the early 1890s, dedicated to his friends in Wales and Pennsylvania.

Till next time.

Cheers!

References

Ambrose, G. P. (1959). PARRY, JOSEPH (1841 – 1903), musician. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://biography.wales/article/s-PARR-JOS-1841

Poem: New friends and old friends by Joseph Parry. (n.d.). Poetry Nook. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/new-friends-and-old-friends

Powell. (n.d.). How old is song/poem that begins “Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold?”. reddit.com. https://www.reddit.com/user/ResolveSweet3391/

Robert Frost. (2014, February 4). Poets.org. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://poets.org/poet/robert-frost

A time to talk by Robert Frost. (n.d.). All Poetry – The world’s largest poetry site : All Poetry. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://allpoetry.com/A-Time-To-Talk

Rhythm and Rhymes: The Road Not Taken (By: Robert Frost)

by Ninagracia, posted in In Conversation with the Poems, Reading and Watching

The Road Not Taken

By

Robert Frost
(1874-1963)

“The Road Not Taken”  is a narrative poem published in 1916. It is one of the most famous poems that captured the fascination of so many people and often misunderstood or misinterpreted.

Some people would say that there is no single meaning or interpretation of a poem and its significance lie in the mind of the writer at the time he wrote the poem.



Image by: https://www.subpng.com/


The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference. (Source)

Here’s a short recap of the poem:

The narrator in the poem encountered a problem when the road he was travelling became two separate paths. As a solo traveller, he could not take both routes. He stood for long to see where each road would lead him. Since he cannot travel on both paths, he was considering the best possible option before deciding which direction to take. However, he could not see the road very well because the forest was dense with leaves and vines.

He figured out that taking the other path was a better option because it was grassy. It looked like no one had walked there. Upon walking on that road, he realised that the grass had worn away the same as the other road because they both been travelled equally. In other words, the same number of people must have walked on that road.

Both roads have a similar condition of wear. Without uncertainty, he decided that over time he would take the other road even though he had doubts if he would ever come back there again.

At some point in the future, he would tell that he was confronted with a problem when two roads diverged in some wood. He had to make a hard choice about which route to take. His decision to take the road that was less travelled by made all the difference in his life.

**********

The Road Not Taken is the most well-known poem of our time. After reading it through, I was deeply immersed in thoughts for its complexities and sophistication.

Poems are presented to us to be enjoyed and interpreted. It is not something that we can argue or prove, instead, it is for us to understand the significance of every single word the writer was trying to express.

The message in this poem is about making a choice. Every day in our lives we make simple choices– what food to eat, what clothes to wear, what shows to watch on the television, or where to go for our next holiday. We make hard choices too where our lives, our friends and families, our total well-being, our future and career entirely depend on that choice.

Making a choice is more difficult if what we are hoping to achieve is not visible on the other side of the road. Making a wise decision and picking the right path is the choice that we all have to take.

If our actions resulted in the improvement of our lives, then that decision to take that path had a positive outcome.

No matter which road we take, it is a considerable risk, and all we can do is hope for the best. Our choices will always make a big difference in our lives.

This is my personal view of this poem. If you have your own, I’ll be glad to hear it from you.

Till next time, enjoy the pleasures of life.


Ninagracia

____________________

References:

https://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/frost/section7/page/2/
https://susanbaroncini-moe.com/please-stop-misinterpreting-the-road-not-taken/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken