12Apr/087
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 took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference !
-- Robert Frost
Follow Contrariwise
May 10th, 2009 - 14:05
It really amuses me how almost everyone who adores this poem never considers that its tone could easily be one of regret.
June 7th, 2009 - 09:34
while i don't know the poem very well, i love the look of the tattoo. can ou tell what font it is?
September 11th, 2009 - 00:57
It is a poem of regret. A lovely poem and easily mistaken,,, it all comes down to the last stanza: “I shall be telling this with a sigh”
a sigh… so thus, he wasn’t necessarily happy with his decision, for it has made all the difference.
Summary to me:
We all take different paths, he took the one less travelled by and it may not have been worth it.
September 11th, 2009 - 00:58
i Do like the tat though… enjoy your path!
May 22nd, 2010 - 19:09
I have the same poem as an entire back piece. The artwork surrounding the poem is the story of my life so far. Where i've been, what I've done, what's been important to me. I was surprised to see the entire poem on someone else. It's been very meaningful to me for a very long time. Nice piece!
June 18th, 2011 - 06:01
"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"
To me the poem means having a choice between two paths that will both lead you to the same destination. One path is the "easy" way and one is about the journey to get you their. They have both been walked and worn to some degree, it's just about making a choice to take a hike or walk the path. Personally I enjoy a good challenge. At the end of the poem I tend to believe it's more about reflecting on his choices. Not so much about regret.
June 8th, 2012 - 19:45
I see where some would think that the last part of the poem expresses regret, however I take the part “I shall be telling this with a sigh….And that has made all the difference!” to mean that the teller of the story has had to explain why anyone would want to take the less traveled road but they did and it was just another “path” that has shaped them into who they are. In my personal life I have always wanted to take “The Road Not Taken”…who wants to be like everyone else, you only live once so you might as well make it an adventure!!