Going for Water By Robert Frost

  Going for Water By Robert Frost

This poem highlights Frost’s ability to evoke nature and childhood wonder, offering a vivid sensory experience while subtly (in an indirect way) exploring themes of simplicity and connection to the natural world. 

Rhyme scheme of the poem “Going for Water”

The well was dry beside the door,              A
And so we went with pail and can             B
Across the fields behind the house           C
To seek the brook if still it ran;                   B

Not loth to have excuse to go,                               A
Because the autumn eve was fair                         B
(Though chill), because the fields were ours,       C
And by the brook our woods were there.              B

We ran as if to meet the moon                             A
That slowly dawned behind the trees,                  B
The barren boughs without the leaves,                C
Without the birds, without the breeze.                  B

But once within the wood, we paused                 A
Like gnomes that hid us from the moon,             B
Ready to run to hiding new                                 C
With laughter when she found us soon.              B

Each laid on other a staying hand                     A
To listen ere we dared to look,                           B
And in the hush we joined to make                    C
We heard—we knew we heard—the brook.      B

A note as from a single place,                           A
A slender tinkling fall that made                        B
Now drops that floated on the pool                   C
Like pearls, and now a silver blade.                  B

……………………………………

Paraphrasing of the poem “Going for Water” By Robert Frost

Stanza 1:

The well was dry beside the door,
And so we went with pail and can
Across the fields behind the house
To seek the brook if still it ran;

Paraphrasing:

The well near the house had run dry, so we grabbed our buckets and cans and headed out across the fields behind our home to check if the brook still flowed with water.

Stanza 2:

Not loth to have excuse to go, (reluctant/unwilling)
Because the autumn eve was fair
(Though chill), because the fields were ours,
And by the brook our woods were there.

Paraphrasing:

We were not reluctant to have a reason to venture out, as the autumn evening was beautiful (though cold). Besides, the fields belonged to us, and our woods lay nearby, right by the brook.

Stanza 3:

We ran as if to meet the moon
That slowly dawned behind the trees, (begin)
The barren boughs without the leaves,
Without the birds, without the breeze.

Paraphrasing:

We ran eagerly, almost as if we were rushing to greet the moon, which was gradually rising behind the trees. The branches were bare, stripped of their leaves, with no birds or wind to stir them.

Stanza 4:

But once within the wood, we paused
Like gnomes that hid us from the moon, (creature)
Ready to run to hiding new
With laughter when she found us soon.

Paraphrasing:

But as soon as we entered the woods, we stopped, behaving like mischievous gnomes, using the trees to hide from the moon. We were prepared to dash off to another hiding spot, laughing, once her light eventually uncovered us.

Stanza 5:

Each laid on other a staying hand
To listen ere we dared to look, (before)
And in the hush we joined to make
We heard—we knew we heard—the brook.

Paraphrasing:

Each of us placed a hand on the other to signal silence, waiting before we dared to look. In the quiet we created together, we heard—and we were sure we heard—the sound of the brook.

Stanza 6:

A note as from a single place,
A slender tinkling fall that made
Now drops that floated on the pool
Like pearls, and now a silver blade.

Paraphrasing

The sound seemed to come from one clear spot, a delicate tinkling fall of water. At times, it formed drops that rested on the pool like pearls, and at other times, it flowed in a sharp, gleaming stream like a sparkiling blade.

Summary of "Going for Water":

In "Going for Water," Robert Frost describes a group of individuals, likely children, who set out to fetch water when their well runs dry. They cross the fields and enter the woods, relishing the crisp, autumn evening and the sense of freedom it brings. Their journey is filled with playful wonder, as they pretend to hide from the moon while eagerly listening for the sound of the stream. Eventually, they hear the brook’s delicate, musical flow and observe its beauty, appreciating its pearls-like drops and silvery streams.

Central Idea of the Poem:

The central idea of the poem revolves around the interplay of human connection to nature and the joy of simple experiences. Frost celebrates the childlike wonder in everyday tasks, showing how an ordinary chore like fetching water becomes a magical adventure. Through vivid imagery and sensory detail, the poem highlights themes of curiosity, playfulness, and the beauty of nature in enriching human life.