![]() ![]() After the golden unfolding of new leaves comes flowers and catkins, but these quickly fade and give way to more humdrum green growth. The poet acknowledges that this “gold” state is hard to hang onto, foreshadowing the poem’s conclusion. We begin at the beginning: in early spring, when trees first leaf out, “Nature’s first green” appears as pale, spring-green buds that shine gold in the sunlight. The poem is essentially an argument, presenting a collection of evidence that leads us to inevitable acceptance of the poet’s thesis, contained in the title and last line. The poem’s music-with the repeated assonance of e’s in leaf/green/Eden/grief, o’s with gold/goes/so/hold, and alliteration of d’s in dawn/down/day-add to our pleasure. The contrast between this simplistic form and the complex ideas it expresses creates a sense of surprise and delight. Here he uses a simple rhyme scheme, an almost sing-song trochaic trimeter, extreme concision, and brilliant word choice to convey a deep truth in memorable form-each deceptively simple rhymed couplet opening a window into another philosophical insight. Frost is a consummate master of using simple language to express profound ideas. This gem-like poem is a reflection on death, loss, and change-concepts with which we are all too familiar in this pandemic era. ![]() Robert Frost’s exquisite poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” also evokes autumn’s beauty and transience. The moral of the story: all good things must end someday. When a clever suitor-with the help of an old crone-discovers their secret, the king puts an end to their nightly idyll. This brilliant color change has always reminded me of the three magical forest groves-one of silver, one of gold, and one of diamonds-that the twelve dancing princesses journeyed through each night in my favorite Grimm’s fairy tale. It seems paradoxical that the leaves are at their most vivid just before death. Tourists will clog the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway to catch a glimpse of the rainbow before the leaves wither and fall. Soon the vibrant yellow, red, and gold of autumn will begin to frost the summits, then spill slowly down the mountainsides to create a festival of color around us. William Bell, Bell Gallery and Garden, Floyd, VA ![]()
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