Short 1

Cierra Short

Mrs. Whitley

English IV

20 March 2019

Senior Anthology - Poem Analysis

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” - Robert Frost

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 in grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” is a poem by Robert Frost published in 1923. The title

“Nothing Gold Can stay” suggests the theme of change, and how anything beautiful has potential

to become more, not lasting forever. In the title Frost promotes the word Gold, later symbolizing

the significance it has throughout the poem. Gold is considered as beauty, signifying that nothing

beautiful will last forever.

The first line of the poem says; “Nature's first green is gold.” This line explicitly reveals

that the poem will be speaking on the topic of nature, relating nature to gold which is considered

as beauty, is not the first thing we see. Think about a beautiful flower, the flower being apart of

nature does not start off as beautiful. In fact in order for the flower to become something

beautiful it must sprout through what many don't relate to beauty; dirt.

Throughout the poem there are three distinct associations the poem makes. These

distinctions being color, change, and time. Frost notions that time is ultimately against the
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seasons with the leaves of nature falling and changing color all too quickly. The focus of the leaf

later reveals the return of spring and coming about of temperature drop as the days fade away

and become shorter. Line six brings human relation and biblical reference to the Garden of Eden,

describing the grief and shame Adam and Eve felt from their disobedience. Then dawn comes

about, which is a temporary state messaging that you should take full advantage of what is

precious and valuable, what Frost refers throughout the poem as “gold,” because it always last.

In “Nothing Gold Can Stay” Frost's use of literary devices is very fluent. Alliteration,

hyperbole, allusion, and personification are all identified in Frost's poem to help associate the

three distinctions to Frosts deeper meaning of “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” In lines one and two

heavy alliteration can be identified. In line two Frost says; “Her hardest hue to hold,” stressing

the letter “h.” Frost also applies personification in the line by referring to nature as “her.”

In line four Frost commends hyperbole by stating “But only so an hour.” Here Frost

relates the quickness of the season change in nature to the time span of an hour, emphasizing that

the change was too quick. Line six recreates the biblical view of grief and shame seen by Adam

and Even through the application of allusion.

Nothing Can Stay Gold is mainly iambic trimeter rhyme scheme. Out of the eight

consecutive lines, lines one and two contain trochees and spondees. This rhyme scheme sets the

light toned mood and emphasizes when the mood shifts. In line five an attitude shift appears to

be prevalent through Frosts word choice of “grief,” and “down.” This attitude shift is more sad

due to all the change revolving around nature which is happening at a fast rate.

The title of the chosen poem says Nothing Gold Can Stay. In the title the world gold is

considered as beauty, but it won't be around forever. Throughout the poem Frost gives several

examples of how nothing beautiful stays, but most importantly he signifies the beauty in the title
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which is what readers view first. As nature's seasons change so abruptly, so does other parts of

nature such as time and color.

The themes in the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost, exemplify his deeper

meaning. Frost penetrates the idea that with beauty comes change and with change, nothing

beautiful will stay. Beauty has more to become and the potential to change into anything it

desires. He creates these themes by personifying nature, which is Frost's greatest strength

throughout the poem” Nothing Gold Can Stay.”