Dust of Snow

 

📖 Poem: Dust of Snow

Poet: Robert Frost
Published: 1923
Type: Lyric poem (very short and meaningful)
Setting: A cold winter day outdoors

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✂️ Text of the Poem

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

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🧠 Stanza-Wise Explanation

🌨️ Stanza 1

The way a crow / Shook down on me / The dust of snow / From a hemlock tree

• A crow (usually seen as a bad omen) shakes a snow-covered branch of a hemlock tree.

• The snow falls on the poet — a small, simple moment in nature.

• "Dust of snow" refers to light, soft snowflakes falling.

❤️ Stanza 2

Has given my heart / A change of mood / And saved some part / Of a day I had rued.

• This little moment cheers up the poet.

• His mood changes from sad to positive.

• The falling snow saves his day — which he had earlier regretted or felt upset about.

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🧩 Form and Meter

• Form: Lyric poem (short, emotional)

• Structure: 2 stanzas of 4 lines each (quatrains)

• Rhyme Scheme: ABAB

• Meter: Irregular, mostly iambic (natural speech rhythm)

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✨ Poetic Devices (with examples)

1. Imagery

   • Visual picture of snow falling from a tree

   • Example: “Dust of snow / From a hemlock tree”

2. Symbolism

   • Crow and hemlock tree = dark or negative symbols

   • But they bring a positive change, showing that even dark things can bring joy

3. Alliteration

   • Repetition of consonant sounds

   • Example: “Has given my heart” (h sound)

4. Enjambment

   • The sentence continues to the next line without pause

   • Makes the poem flow like a natural thought

5. Tone

   • Starts gloomy but ends hopeful and uplifting

6. Contrast

   • Between the poet’s earlier mood and how the small incident completely changes his day

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🌟 Themes

• Small moments can change everything

• Nature’s power to heal

• Unexpected sources of happiness

• Contrast between dark images (crow, hemlock) and positive feelings

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