Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE LOVELY SHALL BE CHOOSERS, by ROBERT FROST Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: The voice said, hunt her down Last Line: “trust us,” the voices said Subject(s): Man-woman Relationships; Male-female Relations | ||||||||
The Voice said, "Hurl her down!' The Voices, 'How far down?' Seven levels of the world/ *How much time have we?' Take twenty years. She would refuse love safe with wealth and honor! The lovely shall be choosers, shall they? Then let them choose!' Then we shall let her choose?' Yes, let her choose. Take up the task beyond her choosing/ Invisible hands crowded on her shoulder In readiness to weigh upon her. But she stood straight still, In broad round ear-rings, gold and jet with pearls And broad round suchlike brooch, Her cheeks high colored. Proud and the pride of friends. The Voice asked, 'You can let her choose?' *Yes, we can let her and still triumph/ Do it by joys, and leave her always blameless. Be her first joy her wedding, That though a wedding, Is yet-well something they know, lie and she. And after that her next joy That though she grieves, her gnef is secret. Those friends know nothing of her grief to make it shameful. Her third joy that though now they cannot help but know, They move in pleasure too far off To think much or much care. Give her a child at either knee for fourth joy To tell once and once only, for them never to forget. How once she walked in brightness, And make them see it m the winter firelight. But give her friends for then she dare not tell For their foregone incredulousness. And be her next joy this: Her never having deigned to tell them Make her among the humblest even Seem to them less than they are. Hopeless of being known for what she has been. Failing of bemg loved for what she is, Give her the comfort for her sixth of knowing She fails from strangeness to a way of life She came to from too high too late to learn. Then send some one with eyes to see And wonder at her where she is. And words to wonder in her hearing how she came there. But without time to linger for her story. Be her last joy her heart's going out to this one So that she almost speaks. You know them-seven in all.' Trust us,' the Voices said. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MISERY AND SPLENDOR by ROBERT HASS THE APPLE TREES AT OLEMA by ROBERT HASS DOUBLE SONNET by ANTHONY HECHT CONDITIONS XXI by ESSEX HEMPHILL CALIFORNIA SORROW: MOUNTAIN VIEW by MARY KINZIE SUPERBIA: A TRIUMPH WITH NO TRAIN by MARY KINZIE COUNSEL TO UNREASON by LEONIE ADAMS TWENTY QUESTIONS by DAVID LEHMAN |
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