"The Aim Was Song" by Robert Frost

Robert Lee Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco, California. He died on January 29, 1963, at age 88 in Boston, Massachusetts. Frost is highly regarded fro his realistic depictions of rural life. He is considered to be one of the most popular and critically respected American poets of the twentieth century.


The Aim Was Song


Before man to blow to right
The wind once blew itself untaught,
And did its loudest day and night
In any rough place where it caught.

Man came to tell it what was wrong:
It hadn't found the place to blow;
It blew too hard - the aim was song.
And listen - how it ought to go!

He took a little in his mouth,
And held it long enough for north
To be converted into south,
And then by measure blew it forth.

By measure. It was word and note,
The wind the wind had meant to be -
A little through the lips and throat.
The aim was song - the wind could see.               




          The above poem, The Aim Was Song, by Robert Frost signifies the art of poetry and its resemblance to song.  There are parallels between poetry and song as suggested in this poem.  Both poetry and song use words/lyrics to convey a message.  Both are melodious, although in different ways.  Song uses music/notes for its tune, while poetry uses rhyme, rhythm, and meter.   Listen to the beauty of the song/poem and feel its rhythm.   We need to be open to the different qualities of these art forms and what they are trying to tell us.  Frost uses the wind as a metaphor in this poem – how it can change from being strong and blowing to soft and whispering.   Words can have the same characteristics.  While poems may differ in their form or structure, it is poetry nevertheless.  Like the wind of nature that varies greatly in its strength and the way man perceives it, so poetry varies in the way it was written and the way it is interpreted by man.   As a gusting, howling wind comes across as forbidding and irate, so can the words and melody of a poem or song.   As a gentle whisper of a wind suggests a light, carefree mood, so can a poem/song have this effect.   Poetry/song can be calming or enraging, happy or sad, enjoyable or not.  The Aim Was Song is an effective poem at conveying Frost’s message of poetry as song.