Beauty, Warning, and Cheer: Three Brief Poems by Robert Frost

Far be it from a modern New Englander to take issue with the iconic Robert Frost, and I do not here, but I would note that, for all his beautiful poetry, three short poems shine.

These three poems are his shortest, completely different. The first reminds us that beauty should be treasured in nature and life. The second imagines a world transfixed with strife, hot tempers, and coldness, a warning. The third is all cheer.

In “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” this poet, known for whimsy and depth, gives with one hand, takes with the other. Beautiful moments surround us, but pass too fast.

“Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.”

As if to remind us that beauty is the flipside of mankind’s follies, in a half-serious, half-mocking way, he says we ought to think harder about ourselves and the future, as it could end in wrath and fire or indifference to each other, senseless cold.

The second poem is “Ice and Fire.”

“Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.”

Finally, there is the Robert Frost we love: hope and resilience in each day, even as he celebrated dawn, bright hours, and dusk. His one is “Dust of Snow,” which invites us to think harder, be observant, love nature, and cheer up in the process.

“The way a crow shook down on me, The dust of snow from a hemlock tree, Has given my heart a change of mood, And saved some part of a day I had rued.”

Taken together, the message – at least to me – is love beauty and its passing, know mankind’s too common errors, and do not miss a wonderful winter day; something simple as a crow in snow can change your mood.” If we can keep such balance, remember the cheer of life’s amusements, we are bound to enjoy each day.