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Robert FrostA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“Dust of Snow” has connections to multiple poetic genres. As the poem is short and expresses the speaker’s feelings, it qualifies as a lyric poem. The poem also has aspects in common with haikus, short poems that often capture a moment in nature. One of the most well-known haiku poets is Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694), and in “On a withered branch,” Bashō, like Frost, focuses on a crow in a tree, with Bashō writing:
On a withered branch,
a crow has come to perch—
at dusk in autumn (Bashō, Matsuo. “On a withered branch.” Circa 1680. Trans. John T. Carpenter. MetMuseum.org).
The haiku genre relies on imagery, including precise language to create a vivid picture. In Basho’s haiku and Frost’s poem, the speakers’ detailed depictions of their moments in nature produce a palpable scene. Haikus have three lines: The first and last lines have five syllables, and the middle line contains seven syllables. Frost’s poem has eight lines and two stanzas, but the lines capture the haiku sound by staying within the four-to-six-syllable range. In other words, Frost’s poem isn’t a standard haiku; however, it has the qualities and sound associated with the genre.
By Robert Frost
Acquainted with the Night
Robert Frost
After Apple-Picking
Robert Frost
A Time To Talk
Robert Frost
Birches
Robert Frost
Fire and Ice
Robert Frost
Mending Wall
Robert Frost
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Robert Frost
October
Robert Frost
Once by the Pacific
Robert Frost
Out, Out—
Robert Frost
Putting in the Seed
Robert Frost
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Robert Frost
The Death of the Hired Man
Robert Frost
The Gift Outright
Robert Frost
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
West-Running Brook
Robert Frost