02-28-2011, 04:23 AM
I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.
To me, this last part is most striking.
People always claim that Frost was a misanthropic, suicidal depressive, but I don't think that's entirely true.
"May no fate willfully misunderstand me
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away
Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:
I don't know where it's likely to go better."
I think that's quite an optimistic statement! I think he just wants a momentary escape from the world, perhaps to climb up a birch tree and dip back down a child again; he wants to be carefree again.
Frost was always toying with leaving earth, but I think that his desires were pretty spurious. I think he really valued earth, and mostly, people!
I also think that time is represented by ice. It is the force that slowly bends us closer to the earth, never to be uprighted.
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.
To me, this last part is most striking.
People always claim that Frost was a misanthropic, suicidal depressive, but I don't think that's entirely true.
"May no fate willfully misunderstand me
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away
Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:
I don't know where it's likely to go better."
I think that's quite an optimistic statement! I think he just wants a momentary escape from the world, perhaps to climb up a birch tree and dip back down a child again; he wants to be carefree again.
Frost was always toying with leaving earth, but I think that his desires were pretty spurious. I think he really valued earth, and mostly, people!
I also think that time is represented by ice. It is the force that slowly bends us closer to the earth, never to be uprighted.