An Analysis of ”The Pasture” by Robert Frost

“The Pasture” by Robert Frost is a short, structured two-stanza poem. This poem gave the readers a vision of Frost’s character. Reading this poem, I get the feeling that Frost really loves the country.

I think the pasture spring in the phrase “I’m going out to clean the pasture spring” symbolizes the speaker’s life. So when he stated he will clean his life, he really meant that he is having a new beginning. I do not know what the spring meant, but if it should have meant spring as in season, it will further support speaker getting a new life, new beginning.

The second and third line of the poem is “I’ll only stop to rake the leaves away (and wait to watch the water clear, I may)” which slows the reader down by using alliteration. The phrase “(and wait to watch the water clear, I may)” may seem unimportant because it is surrounded by the parenthesis, yet it is mentioned in a very brief poem, so it must be important to the speaker. In that line alone, the speaker wants the reader to slow down and enjoy the nature he loves.

In the second stanza, the speaker says “I’m going out to fetch the little calf

That’s standing by the mother. It’s too young,” I think the little calf is symbolizing the speaker’s son. “It totters when she licks it with her tongue.” In that line, the speaker is observing the calf’s movements and responding positively to it, which also can support my idea of the calf being the speaker’s son.

At the last line of each stanza the speaker repeats: “I shan’t be gone long.-you come too.” The speaker loves the country so much he wants the readers to come along with him and be his company.

Finally, the whole poem is basically saying that the author really loves the nature and not only will he clean up the spring and do his chores, but he will also take time to look at nature.