Robert Frost desires his poetry to “begin in delight and end in wisdom.” He achieves this as seen in “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” using metaphors, soft alliterations and wise biblical allusions showing that everything beautiful and young comes to an end. The Poem begins with metaphors which make comparisons to the beauty of youth. “Natures first green is gold,” compares the precious beauty of first stages to the priceless value of gold. “Her early leaf’s a flower,” demonstrates personification of “her” which represents beauty and care, adding a gentle outlook. Flowers are often viewed with admiration of their beauty and grace, to compare a leaf to a flower exhibits the young beauty, of which all flowers and leaves eventually lose, when they wither and die. Frost also utilizes alliteration to achieve a sympathetic and soft tone. “Her hardest hue to hold” sounds pretty and sweet with the gentle sounds of “h.” The soft alliteration helps the poem flow in a quiet and lovely way. The alliteration adds a more poetic sound to the simplicity of the rhyming couplets. The line using alliteration describes the difficulty of maintaining youth and the beauty along with it, aiding Frost’s idea that nothing young and beautiful ever lasts. An obvious biblical allusion is also seen in the poem towards the end, enhancing his purpose to leave the reader with wisdom. “So Eden sank to grief” compares the biblical allusion of Eden losing its beauty and magic after Eve introduces sin to the world. The allusion displays the end of Eden’s delight, while leaving the reader with a wise thought. Eden also exists as a stunning part of nature, which couldnt last forever, adding to the idea that everything beautiful comes to an end. Frost achieves his purpose of creating a poem which “begins in delight and ends in wisdom.” His use of metaphors, soft alliterations and biblical allusions illuminate the idea that everything beautiful eventually fades away.
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