A Brief Commentary on the poem
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” consists of four four-line stanzas. In each stanza the first, second and fourth lines rhyme but the third line does not. The third line rather determines the rhyme of the next stanza. For instance, in the first stanza ‘know’, ‘though’ and ‘snow’ rhyme, but ‘here’ rhymes with ‘queer’, ‘near’ and ‘year’ in the next stanza. As an exception, in the last stanza, all four lines are rhyming though. So the rhyme scheme is AABA-BBCB-CCDC-DDDD and it is written in Iambic tetrameter, having four stressed syllables in each line. Actually the poem looks very simple in its use of language and also in the subject matter. But what strikes us most is the use of a special form and rhyme scheme to express the theme so fluently. To mingle the content with the structure is really a tough task. The poem is rich in its use of figures of speech like imagery, alliteration and personification. It also has an allegorical meaning. So this poem has been highly acclaimed since its publication.