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Two roads diverged in a yellow
wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, 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 traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
By
Robert Frost
Explanation
According to the literal
interpretation, the poem is inspirational, a paean to
individualism and non conformism.
The poem's last lines, where the narrator declares that
taking the road "less traveled by" has "made all the
difference," can be seen as a declaration of the
importance of independence and personal freedom.
"The
Road Not Taken" seems to illustrate that once one takes
a certain road, there is no turning back. Although one
might change paths later on, the past cannot be changed.
It can be seen as showing that choice is very important,
and is a thing to be considered.
This interpretation seems connected with misremembering
the title as "The Road Less Traveled", since it places
emphasis on the choice made, not the opportunities
foregone. |
