THE ROAD NOT TAKEN FULL SUMMARY

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN BY ROBERT

STANZA BY STANZA SUMMARY

 

Stanza 1

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Summary:

The poet was walking on a road when he reached a place where the road split into two different paths. He felt sad because he could not walk on both roads. He had to choose only one. He stood there for a long time, looking down each road as far as possible. He wanted to see where they led and understand both paths. But he could not see beyond the bend because the roads curved and were covered with trees.

 

Stanza 2

Then took the other, just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

Summary

The poet looked at one path for a long time to decide if it was the right one for him. Then, he chose another path because he felt both were equally good. He thought this path might be better because it had grass, meaning fewer people had walked on it. The phrase "wanted wear" means the path was not used much. However, after walking for some time, he realized that both paths were actually worn out in the same way and were quite similar.

 

Stanza 3

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves, no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

Summary

The poet says that both paths looked the same that morning. They were covered with fresh leaves, and no one had walked on them yet. He chose to take one path that day and planned to take the other path another time. However, he knew that one path leads to another, and he might never get the chance to return and take the other path.

 

Stanza 4

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Summary

He says that one day in the future, he will look back and say that there was a time in his life when he had two choices. He chose the path that fewer people had taken, and that choice shaped his future.

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