It is absurd to think that the only way to tell
if a poem is lasting is to wait and see if it lasts.
. . . The proof of a poem is not that we have
never forgotten it, but that we knew at sight
that we never could forget it. . . .
~ Robert Frost*
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* Quoted in Jay Parini, Robert Frost: A Life, GoogleBooks (The quote also appears in "The Poetry of Amy Lowell", Christian Science Monitor, May 16, 1925.)
American Treasures of the Library of Congress, The Poetry of Robert Frost
Harper Audio Broadcast, Four-Part Series on Robert Frost
New Hampshire Individuals of Note, Robert Lee Frost
PBS: Poetry Everywhere with Garrison Keillor, "Robert Frost: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
Richard Poirier, "Robert Frost, The Art of Poetry No. 2", Interview at The Paris Review
Robert Frost, 1874 - 1963, Profile and Work at Modern American Poetry
Voice of America, "Robert Frost, 1874-1963: Celebrating National Poetry Month With an American Favorite", April 9, 2011 (Podcast and Transcript)
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4 comments:
Ah yes, that instant knowing!
Your poems are very memorable, Maureen. I hope your Mother's Day is a delightful one.
We have many Frost connections in our family, but I hadn't seen this quote before... thanks for sharing, and blessings on your Mothers Day!
i can't remember poems unless i write them down.
but, i can carry the knowing and the feelings beyond having read the words. so in a sense, i guess the feeling, sound, pictures that words produce is what becomes in part what i carry or perhaps becomes part of me until it becomes something else.
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