Winter Solstice : The darkest evening of the year.

“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 last stanza of the poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost is truly impressive and will always be one of the finest stanzas till now (for me).

When I was in Class XI, Sir Ajay, who was a very young and energetic English teacher, explained it in a very detailed manner during class when I was studying at Photon School, Kwakeithel. It fascinated me and made me think about how aesthetically beautiful this last stanza is. Every 21st December, I remember this stanza.

Sir explained that in the last stanza the narrator describes the woods: lovely, dark and deep. This shows that he is appreciating the scene and wishes to stay there for a longer time. But he has other duties and commitments in life. He has to travel a long distance before he can rest. So he cannot enjoy the moment for long and has to move forward.

The important point here is that the poet repeats the last line to draw the reader’s attention.

In this final line lies the metamorphical meaning. Here, “sleep” may refer to death. In our real lives, we come across many things that fill us with wonder and admiration, but in most cases we cannot fully enjoy them because we have other responsibilities within our limited lifespan. Therefore, we must move on.