Analysis of The Impulse

Robert Frost 1874 (San Francisco) – 1963 (Boston)



It was too lonely for her there,
And too wild,
And since there were but two of them,
And no child,

And work was little in the house,
She was free,
And followed where he furrowed field,
Or felled tree.

She rested on a log and tossed
The fresh chips,
With a song only to herself
On her lips.

And once she went to break a bough
Of black alder.
She strayed so far she scarcely heard
When he called her-

And didn't answer-didn't speak-
Or return.
She stood, and then she ran and hid
In the fern.

He never found her, though he looked
Everywhere,
And he asked at her mother's house
Was she there.

Sudden and swift and light as that
The ties gave,
And he learned of finalities
Besides the grave.


Scheme ABXB CDXD XEXE XFXF XGXG XACA XHCH
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 11110101 011 01101111 011 01110001 111 01011101 111 11010101 011 10110101 101 01111101 1110 11111101 1110 01010101 101 11011101 001 11010111 10 01110101 111 10010111 011 01111 0101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 668
Words 136
Sentences 8
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 19
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 76
Words per stanza (avg) 19
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 15, 2023

41 sec read
260

Robert Frost

Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. more…

All Robert Frost poems | Robert Frost Books

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