Well-Educated Mind Poetry: Robert Frost

Robert Frost

American Poet

1874 - 1963

Well-Educated Mind Poetry

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The next poet on the WEM poetry list was Robert Frost, one of America's most notable poets. Frost was born and grew up in San Francisco, California, in 1874, until his father passed away, when he and his mother moved to Massachusetts. In adulthood, he and his wife had six children, two who died in infancy. 

He worked odd jobs much of his life, before he became recognized as a poet, which happened while he and his family were staying in the United Kingdom, in 1912. He was directly impacted by rural living; in fact, many of his poems reflect his love and connection with the country life.

After returning to the United States, he bought farmland in New Hampshire, where he continued writing realistic poetry about nature, social and philosophical issues, personal loss, life choices, and New England country life. 

It may be evident from his poetry that he suffered many disappointments throughout his long life, including depression and mental illness in his family. He lost his parents to illness, his sister to cancer, and a daughter to mental illness. He himself suffered with bouts of depression. Maybe it was his ability to express himself through poetry that enabled him to overcome. Maybe writing prepared him to work through his loss. 

Frost is a cultural icon, and my little blurb about him is a trifle compared to what can be said about his literary achievements. I can mention this fact: he won numerous awards in poetry, including four Pulitzer Prizes. But the memorable of all, I think, is that he was invited to read his poetry -- the first time in U.S. presidential inaugural history -- by President John Kennedy during his inauguration on January 20, 1961. He was expected to read his poem "Dedication," but the glare of the sun and blowing of the wind prevented him from reading from his paper; hence, he recited from memory, "The Gift Outright." In the end, God preferred the later and directed history.

The land was ours before we were the land’s 
She was our land more than a hundred years 
Before we were her people. She was ours 
In Massachusetts, in Virginia, 
But we were England’s, still colonials, 
Possessing what we still were unpossessed by, 
Possessed by what we now no more possessed. 
Something we were withholding made us weak 
Until we found out that it was ourselves 
We were withholding from our land of living, 
And forthwith found salvation in surrender. 
Such as we were we gave ourselves outright 
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war) 
To the land vaguely realizing westward, 
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced, 
Such as she was, such as she will become.

Frost reciting his poem @ JFK Inauguration

Here are the selected poems I read. Favorites are in blue.

After Apple Picking

Birches

The Death of the Hired Man

Departmental

Design

Fire and Ice

Home Burial

Mending Wall

Mowing

The Need of Being Versed in Country Things

Nothing Gold Can Stay

The Pasture

Putting in the Seed

The Road Not Taken 

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

To Earthward

Trespass

The Wood-Pile

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