Poem: Dust of Snow
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
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Central Idea and Summary of the Poem
DUST OF SNOW is a short and simple poem with a deep meaning. The poem is written by the American poet, Robert Frost. The poem tells us that even a small thing can have a huge impact on our lives. It explains the role of small things in changing our attitude or mood.
The poet says that he was in a sorrowful and depressive mood and was sitting under a hemlock tree. It was the winter season. Suddenly a crow, which was sitting on the tree, shook down the small particles of snow on the poet.
The poet has mentioned a crow and a hemlock tree in the poem to describe his depressive and sorrowful mood. Since the poet was in a bad mood, he was unable to see the sweet side of nature. He uses these negative symbols or bitter side of nature to express his feelings.
When the small particles of snow (snowflakes) fell on the poet, he was awakened from his depressive thoughts. This changed his mood from the state of sadness to the state of happiness. He suddenly realised that he had wasted a lot of his time regretting and being in sorrow. He thought that he should utilise the rest of the day in doing some constructive work. This small incident helped him enjoy the rest of the day and saved his remaining part of the day from being wasted.
The dust of snow is the symbol of natural joy, positivity and energy, which changed poet's mood.
The poem highlights the role of the crow in changing the poet's mood. The crow, which is believed to be a symbol of bad omen, sorrow and fear, has been portrayed as a carrier of positivity. The crow not only shook down the snow particles on the poet but also shook off the poet's depressive and regretful thoughts and lightened up his mood.
This poem conveys a message that negative symbols or bad omens do not always have bad effect on us. In fact, this poem shows that every aspect/element of nature is beautiful and can be a source of joy and positivity. The poem tells us that it's not the things but our thinking and how we perceive the things determine our attitude or mood.
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Words and their Meanings
- Shake down (past tense: shook down) - to bring something down or cause something to fall down by shaking it
- Hemlock - a poisonous tree with small white flowers
- Rued - repented of
