Poetry, April 4

[jade_sabre]

Today we have Robert Frost, who I am also fond of, mostly for his poetry that isn't "The Road Less Traveled" or "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening," because his poetry tends to get surprisingly dark after that.  This particular poem reminds me of Prufrock, which I am so far resisting, but which the previous poem reminded me of as well, due to the singing mermaids.  I like the contemplative nature of this poem.



Acquainted with the Night
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
O luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

Comments

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Ooh! Let's all write our own sonnet!

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

Aaaah.

I like Frost quite a bit but more for his pastoral stuff about real life out in the country with work to do...hadn't come across this one.

All poets have their dark sides, though. That's the point.

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

I think this poem was on one of my practice AP English tests... I think we were supposed to compare it to another poem, but I don't know which.

[buella-pearl.livejournal.com]

Yes...with a Dickinson poem I'm pretty sure. I'm also trying to figure out why I was doing practice AP English tests when I took honors (we didn't offer AP) and I had no intention of taking the AP English test.

[fathomlesssky.livejournal.com]

*gasps* I love Prufrock!

I haven't really looked into Robert Frost's poetry ever since I got force-fed "Fire and Ice" and "The Road Less Travelled" in elementary school, but I rather like this one.

It reminds me of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (I don't know if you've read this, but you should if you haven't!) a bit, most because I've recently reread it, because the imagery kind of goes with the mood of the book and the way magic and magicians were portrayed.

[ascii-rock.livejournal.com]

am i the only one who reads a lot of murder into this poem?

[jyms.livejournal.com]

*squee* that's so gorgeous, and i like how the first line is repeated at the end - or is that part of the poem form? at first i read it as from pov of a man, then as from a woman. man - sounds very poetic, the scrummy tragic guy. woman - more interesting, like one of Dicken's 'fallen women' roaming London. 'dropped my eyes' is something i would associate more with women.