Mowing by Robert Frost (1914)
The poem explores the tension between nature and human endeavor, as a mower struggles to tame a lawn that seems determined to resist his efforts. The speaker's voice is detached, observing the scene with a sense of irony and resignation. The poem raises questions about the futility of trying to control or dominate nature, and the ways in which it can be both beautiful and destructive.
By Robert Frost · First published 1914 · Genre: Poetry, Pastoral, Symbolism · 171 words
First lines
There was never a sound beside the wood but one, And that was my long scythe whispering to the ground.
What was it it whispered? I knew not well myself; Perhaps it was something about the heat of the sun, Something, perhaps, about the lack of sound-
And that was why it whispered and did not speak.
It was no dream of the gift of idle hours, Or easy gold at the hand of fay or elf: Anything more than the truth would have seemed too weak To the earnest love that laid the swale in rows, Not without feeble-pointed spikes of flowers (Pale orchises), and scared a bright green snake.
What this Textopian page supports
Mowing is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Frost, dated 1914 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Frost
- Date: 1914 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Pastoral, Symbolism, Modernism
- Length: 171 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
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Discussion starters
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Similar titles
- Plowmen by Robert Frost
- In The Home Stretch by Robert Frost
- After Apple Picking by Robert Frost
- A Late Walk by Robert Frost
- The Line Gang by Robert Frost
- The Wood Pile by Robert Frost
Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse form, utilizing meter and rhyme, characteristic of poetry.
- Pastoral — The poem focuses on rural life and nature, depicting the act of mowing in a natural setting.
- Symbolism — The scythe and its whispering serve as symbols, suggesting deeper meanings about labor and nature.
- Modernism — The poem reflects modernist themes through its focus on individual perception and the simplicity of truth.
Tags
Poetry · Nature · Seasonal Change · Agriculture · Rural Life · Solitude · Reflection · Mortality · Cycle of Life · Futility · Human Condition · Existentialism