Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - Robert Frost

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.

-

The American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) wrote this poem, which he deemed “my best bid for remembrance” early in the morning after staying up all night writing another poem, “New Hampshire.” The poem was a favorite of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Frost was already an icon during his own lifetime, and won four Pulitzer Prizes for his work. In 1960, Frost was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.