"Nothing Gold Can Stay"
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
When Ponyboy and Johnny are hiding in a church, later in the novel The Outsiders, they talk about this poem and staying gold. Special words Johnny shares with Ponyboy that night in the church are, "Stay gold." Ponyboy, on the other hand, knows that this is not possible if he is to grow up. The maturation process is a necessary part of life.
Let's analyze Frost's poem. In the first line of the first stanza, we have what appears to be a paradox. How can something green be gold at the same time? What are the connotations of green and gold?
If we look at the next line, we may find a clue. Green is Nature's hardest hue to hold. Could the poet be referring to the changing of seasons?
If we make the comparison between Ponyboy and innocence, we might use the metaphor green to represent .
Then, what is gold? On TV we hear advertisements, encouraging adults to buy gold because the value is increasing every day. So, gold could represent .
If I interpret correctly, green is gold or in the metaphor, is .
Let's read on. "Her early leaf's a flower but only so an hour." Again, we sense a paradox of something that cannot be possible. If we roam the yard for plants and shrubs that bloom in spring, we soon discover that the leaves appear first after winter, flowers show for a brief time, but then the flowers fade away, leaving only leaves for summer and fall. Again, I sense that the poet has changing of seasons in mind.
As I move to the next line, I see the word "Eden." When writers refer to something in the Bible, we call these references biblical allusions. Frost, then, alludes to Eden. Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve?
After Eve takes a bite of the apple, she convinces Adam to do the same. The serpent, Satan, smiles his sardonic smile. What happens to Adam and Eve?
Further Analysis
Look at these words: early leaf, Eden, and dawn. What do they all have in common? How long do they last? Do you think their brevity is important to the poet? Do you think the speaker of the poem regrets that he cannot stay "green"?
How do you interpret these three lines? Do they fulfill their earlier promise?
We understand, then, that Adam and Eve are fallen. The innocence of Eden goes down to the grief of sin.
How does dawn go down to day?
If the sun is shining, it goes up, doesn't it? Could the poet mean that dawn is the first of the day, lasts only a brief time, and gives way to day?
Just as green gives way to gold, so
becomes
.
In an earlier lesson, you learned how to determine the rhyme scheme of a poem. Let's practice with this one. Re-read the poem to see if you can determine the rhyme scheme.
We also learned the special name for two lines that rhyme. What is it?
Sound device is also important in this poem. Look at this line. Do you see that most words begin with an "h" sound? We refer to this type of sound device as alliteration. Can you find another example of alliteration within the poem?