BY Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Yellow wood – deciduous (plant looses its leaves)
wanted wear – a road relatively unused
sigh – to let out long , deep breath to show you are tired
Summary –
This poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, reflects on a moment when the speaker encounters a fork in the road in a yellow wood and must choose between two paths. The speaker laments being unable to take both and spends time contemplating which one to follow. Though both paths seem equally worn, the speaker chooses the one that appears less traveled. The speaker acknowledges that the choice is significant, yet also recognizes that it is unlikely they will return to take the other path. In the end, the speaker anticipates that this decision will be looked back on with a sigh, as it has made a profound impact on their life.