Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay”
A Poetic Analysis
Line 1
Nature's first green is gold,

This line gives us the setting of the poem—we're in nature, in case you were snoozing. And we're talking
about nature's first green, which makes us think about spring.

The speaker, though, says this first green is actually gold. This makes us think of trees like the willow, which
are golden early in spring, before they mature to green.

But it also makes us think of the morning, when the sun rises and makes everything a bit golder than normal,
all bathed in the dawn light.
Line 2
Her hardest hue to hold.

Now that our speaker has told us that nature is gold before it's green, he goes on to say that gold is the
hardest hue, or color, for nature to hold, or keep. So the first color we see in spring doesn't stick around very
long.

The idea of nature having an easy or hard time holding onto something is an example of personification.
And not only is nature personified here, it's actually made into a female figure.

You know what else we notice about this line? Check out all those H sounds. That's some
major alliteration right there. And it this short line, all those rapid-fire H sounds right in a row force us to slow
down and really ponder over the meaning.

Then there's the rhyme. Hold rhymes with gold, which means we've got a rhymedcouplet here.

And since these lines have the same number of syllables, we're gonna go ahead and assume there's
a meter in play, too. In fact, there is—iambic trimeter, to be precise. Be sure to click on over to our "Form
and Meter" section for more.
Line 3
Her early leaf's a flower;

The speaker wants to be clear here, so he's going to elaborate on what he was talking about in Line 1. Just
like nature's first green is gold, her first leaf is a flower. In spring, trees and bushes bloom with gorgeous
flowers, which are replaced by green leaves in the summer.

Frost is really getting into his poetic groove here, when he pops a metaphor into this line. The first flowers of
spring aren't actually leaves in disguise; the speaker is using figurative language to intentionally blur the line
between flowers and leaves. Eventually, in real life, the blooms die and drop off the trees, making room for
the leaves, which come to soak in nourishment from the sun.
Line 4
But only so an hour.

This line completes the alternating structure of the first four lines. If nature's first green, gold, doesn't stick
around long, then it only makes sense that the first version of the leaf, which is the flower, doesn't stick
around long either.

As the speaker says in this handy rhyme, the first leaf is a flower for only an hour. This doesn't literally mean
that the trees or plants the speaker is referring to bloom for exactly an hour. But blooms, as you'll know if
you've ever gardened, only last a few days, or weeks, depending on the plant.

Or, Frost could be talking about how, when the sun comes up, everything is golden and flower-like. But
then, when the sun gets high in the sky and everything becomes its normal color, what once looked like
golden flowers now look like what they truly are—green leaves.
Line 5
Then leaf subsides to leaf.

This line shows us what happens after the early leaf is no longer figuratively a flower—it becomes a true leaf.
But the speaker doesn't say "becomes," he says "subsides." This means that the first leaf sank down, or
settled, to become another leaf.

The use of the word "subsides" implies that the speaker thinks that the first leaf—the flower of sorts—was
better than the actual leaf. The first leaf had to stoop down, or lower itself, to become the second one.

Going with our two interpretations, this means that either spring blooms and flowers are more beautiful than
the full leaves of summer, or that leaves in the early morning are much prettier than leaves at, say, midday.
Line 6
So Eden sank to grief,

The "so" at the beginning of the line means "just as," which means that in line, the speaker is comparing
mankind's fall from the Garden of Eden to the change from gold to green he described in the first half of
the poem.

Just like the flowers subsided, or were downgraded to become leaves, Eden also sinks. This refers to the
biblical fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. When Eve ate forbidden fruit, she and Adam, and
all their descendents, were forever punished by being banished from Eden and subject to all of the grief
that we humans know today.

Both these events may seem like a big bummer, but keep in mind that the fall of Adam and Eve is often
viewed as a fortunate fall, because even though it was tragic that humans sinned, their sin set the stage for
all of history to be set in motion. In other words, if Adam and Eve hadn't gotten the munchies, Shmoop
wouldn't be here explaining this poem to you. And that would be a travesty.

So, the poem suggests, just as it was tragic that the first biblical humans were expelled from the Garden of
Eden, it's tragic that the early golden flowers of spring and dawn grow into mere leaves. But it's possible that
there's an upside to all this sorrow, too. Or at the very least, it's the way it goes, and we can't change it.
Line 7
So dawn goes down to day.

This line is yet another comparison to the colors of spring turning from gold to green, and the fall of Adam
and Eve, but this time, dawn is going down to day.

Think of refreshing, golden hues of sunrise turning into the scathing heat of a summer day.

The use of the word "down" in this line makes us think… isn't the sun supposed to rise in the morning?
Wouldn't dawn rise up to day? Well, yes, literally, the sun does come up. But the speaker prefers dawn. Day
is at a lower level because, possibly, it's lost the freshness and color of the dawn.

We think again, though, of the fortunate fall. It's a good thing, Shmoopers, that dawn turns into day, even if
the daytime horizon is significantly less spectacular than a sunrise. Sunshine is wonderful—it helps the plants
grow and feels nice and warm after a chilly morning.
Line 8
Nothing gold can stay.

This last line connects us back to the title and reminds us of the only other mention of gold in this poem,
which is in the first line. The line neatly wraps up all the metaphors: early spring leaves and flowers, the
Garden of Eden, and dawn are all gold, and none of them can stay for very long in this world.

Gold—after its brief appearance as a beautiful color, or a feeling of contentedness, or whatever is fresh
and new and wonderful—has to hit the road, leaving us with green leaves, people who know sin and guilt,
and the bright, boring light of day.

But take comfort. Even though we'll eventually lose the glaze of gold, now that we know it's not sticking
around, we can appreciate it more. Also, we can go on with our daily lives. Leaves can soak up sun and
rain to feed trees, we can enjoy all the wonderful complexities of knowledge, and the full light of sun can
blaze on.
Symbols, Imagery, Wordplay
Form and Meter
We don't know about you, but the first thing Shmoop noticed about "Nothing Gold Can Stay" were those
rhyming couplets. They practically leap off the page. We hear "hold" and "gold," then "flower" a...
Speaker
The speaker of this poem is elusive. He (we say "he" only because Frost is male and that makes things a whole
lot simpler) speaks without using the first person and keeps the topic pretty impersona...
Setting
The poem places us right in the gold glow of a spring sunrise while reminding us that such beauty is only
temporary. The poem mentions the Garden of Eden, and you can totally imagine yourself in a...
Sound Check
Frost doesn't just rely on boring old meter and rhymes to make music in this one. He's got alliteration, assonance,
consonance, and slant rhymes up the wazoo to add some flavor to the mix. We'll wa...
What's Up With the Title?
As you read, it seems like every line is saying "Nothing Gold Can Stay"—just in a different way each time. And
that notion is pretty drastic. The title doesn't just say that most gold things don'...
Calling Card
Frost has a way of saying exactly the right thing in exactly the right amount of space—which, in the case of this
poem, is very little. These tiny eight lines make us think about a lot, from spri...
Tough-o-Meter
While there are some tricky turns of phrase that could throw you off your path, this poem is more of a lovely stroll
than a grueling climb. You can even wear flip-flops.
Trivia
"Nothing Gold Can Stay" was published in New Hampshire, Frost's first book of four—that's right, four—to be
awarded the Pulitzer Prize. (Source.)"Nothing Gold Can Stay" may have inspired the ti...
Steaminess Rating
Though springtime, the Garden of Eden, and sunrise make this poem romantic, there's not much sex to speak of
here. You can read this aloud to a child of any age.
Allusions
The Garden of Eden (6)