The Aim Was Song

Robert Frost 1874 (San Francisco) – 1963 (Boston)



Before man to blow to right
The wind once blew itself untaught,
And did its loudest day and night
In any rough place where it caught.

Man came to tell it what was wrong:
It hadn't found the place to blow;
It blew too hard - the aim was song.
And listen - how it ought to go!

He took a little in his mouth,
And held it long enough for north
To be converted into south,
And then by measure blew it forth.

By measure. It was word and note,
The wind the wind had meant to be -
A little through the lips and throat.
The aim was song - the wind could see.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

35 sec read
260

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAAX BCBC DEDE FGFG
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 545
Words 118
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Robert Frost

Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. more…

All Robert Frost poems | Robert Frost Books

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