We dance round in a ring and suppose,
 But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.

First published in “A Witness Tree”, 1942.

It’s tempting to assume that this pithy, aphoristic couplet embodies Frost’s view of poetry and the poetic process (both composition and interpretation). It’s especially tempting when you consider that Frost’s own poetry is celebrated for its “wonderful ability to pack layer after layer of meaning and imagery into a few words”¹ - and that he was loth to favour any particular interpretation thereof over any other².

Tempting, perhaps, but not necessarily true. Which (in a marvellous twist of self-reference) makes it equally plausible that what is being referred to is the poem itself; it’s certainly impenetrable enough in its own way… wheels within wheels within wheels.

— Thomas

Minstrels Links

Frost has featured on the Minstrels before, but not to the extent that one might have expected (and not at all in the last year or so).

Poem #155, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, is a classic, and one of those poems which everyone knows and loves.

Poem #51, “The Road Not Taken”, is on one of our favourite themes. The accompanying commentary has a biography, critical assessment, and two interesting essays on Frost’s use of deceptively simple language to drive home what are often fairly complex thoughts and emotions.

Both of these, plus the poems mentioned in the footnotes above, plus many many more, are available on the Minstrels website, The Wondering Minstrels

Endnote

Robert Frost died on the 29th of January, 1963. No, I wasn’t aware of the coincidence when I chose today’s poem.