As you know, today is the Solstice - the shortest day in the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest day for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere. Officially occurring at 12:47 - we're now almost four hours into Winter. And what better time to revisit Robert Frost's fabulous poem that takes place on this day:
Photograph from 1916, part of the Frank and Frances Carpenter collection, Library of Congress.Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Photograph by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, circa 1915, Library of Congress.I hope you enjoy the longest (or shortest!) night of 2009!
Woodprint (c. 1838) by Hiroshige Ando (1797-1858), Library of Congress.
Fantastic post! And very apropos. Great photos too!! Funny enough, it has really warmed up today. I even dared to go out without a coat. :-)
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