what does this poem mean to you? does even have any special meaning, or is it just describing a random event?

Question

Come In

As I came to the edge of the woods,
Thrush music -- hark!
Now if it was dusk outside,
Inside it was dark.

Too dark in the woods for a bird
By sleight of wing
To better its perch for the night,
Though it still could sing.

The last of the light of the sun
That had died in the west
Still lived for one song more
In a thrush's breast.

Far in the pillared dark
Thrush music went --
Almost like a call to come in
To the dark and lament.

But no, I was out for stars;
I would not come in.
I meant not even if asked;
And I hadn't been.

Answer 1

I rather doubt Robert Frost would "just describe a random event."

"The man came to the edge of the woods and heard the enticing call of the thrush. The world he lived in was darkening but the thought of giving in to death (by suicide or merely succumbing to a sickness) wasn't what he truly wanted.. The thrush sang to him but it wasn't asking him to come in (as is evidenced by the later line about not being asked to come in). The thrush sang with what seemed like the last available light in the world. This call was enticing but it wasn't an invitation to succumb to the darkness. The man was looking for light! He was out for stars. Have you ever gone outside to look at the stars? You are explicitly searching the sky for those radiant glimpses of light in the vast dark canvas of the sky. This man was out looking for light and he noticed the call of the thrush and the thought of going into the darkness...but it wasn't truly enticing because he had set out looking for light. he meant not to go in even if he had been asked, and he hadn't even been asked."

I'd add to the above that this poem has a theme similar to "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Frost.
Again the darkness tempts the speaker, but . .

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

In "Come In", you can see that the speaker is depressed and thinking of suicide:

"Inside it was dark."

just as the speaker of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is:

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep."

Answer 2

I agree with johnslat's answer, but to give you a little from my own experience, I can get inspiration from randomly occurring events the same as I can from something that happens every day on a schedule. Poetry can be about any subject, not just select ones. The biggest difference between poetry and a short story is the manner in which it is read. I prefer to write in iambic heptameter, and put a line break after the 4th iamb. That gives me an 8/6 rhythm when reading that I can also set to music like "Yellow Rose of Texas", or "House of Rising Sun", or even "Ghost Riders in the Sky". I write a lot of mushy romantic stuff for the ladies that seem to like it, but I also write a lot for my own gratification. I even wrote one about Viet Nam 22 years after returning from there. I had nightmares for all those years, and since writing the poem, have had none. It was therapeutic. So you see, poetry can be about anything, anywhere, and any time.

Answer 3

Listen. There's a bird (a thrush) singing in the dark woods, whereas it's light outside of them. The author is wondering why such a pretty song can be heard in such a dark place. Make of it what you will, though. Most literature is open to interpretation and two people can come out of it with complete different understandings.

Answer 4

It's uncommon. You bought the tale throughout. But is it fairly the tale you wish to get throughout or the emotion connected to the tale? Is it an insignificant street for storytelling or the encapsulation of an emotional cataclysm?

Answer 5

haha im just as confused as you are! =]]