Uploaded October 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Here's a virtual movie of Robert Frost reading his popular poem "The Rose Family"
Poet and American legend Robert Frost (1874 – 1963) was best known for his introspective verse that was often full of past regrets. One poem that showcased Frost’s dry sense of humor was “The Rose Family.” Although the poem is a mere 10 lines long, it packs quite a poetical punch.
“The Rose Family” first appeared in print in 1927 and has been derided by Frost’s contemporaries during his lifetime. This was the time when poems such as T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” were so beloved of critics. American poet and critic Babette Deutsch (1895 – 1982) even went so far as to call “The Rose Family” as “unworthy of inclusion” of any literary journal or poetry anthology.
Unconventional Love Poem
Each line ends in the same sound “-ose” but never becomes repetitive. “The Rose Family” is spoken by an unseen narrator (presumably Frost himself) about the members of the rose family, including apples and pears. The narrator wonders if plums could be considered a rose (they are), but he firmly declares in the final lines “You, of course, are a rose/ But you were always a rose.”
The poem begins in the familiar “RO-ses are RED, VI-olets are BLUE” rhythm with “A rose is a rose” but then turns the usual love poem on its head. Instead of talking about the beloved’s great traits, the narrator wonders why fruits are related to roses. He has no problem equating his beloved with a rose, “of course.” This is emphasized in the final line, (“But you were always a rose”) which has the same rhythm as the second line, showing that the last line is a pair of the first and not the line that preceded it.
Poems, Metaphors and Life
The Robert Frost Encyclopedia (Greenwood Publishing Group; 2001) muses that Frost was poking fun at poets in general while making a simple yet touching deceleration of love. The usual metaphors used by poets may not be entirely accurate metaphors. For example, a rose is often thought of as a flower, but the rose family also encompasses apples, pears, plums, quinces, peaches, blackberries and strawberries.
Frost’s first line “A rose is a rose” echoes Gertrude Stein’s famous line to “Sacred Emily”, “A rose is a rose is a rose.” That line in turn echoed William Shakespeare’s line from “Romeo and Juliet” that “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Perhaps poets need to come up with new metaphors for their beloveds, since fruits like the quince are far different from conventional roses.
Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech.[2] His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. One of the most popular and critically respected American poets of the twentieth century,[3] Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He became one of America's rare "public literary figures, almost an artistic institution."[3] He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetic works. On July 22, 1961, Frost was named poet laureate of Vermont.
Here's a virtual movie of Robert Frost reading his popular poem "The Rose Family"
Poet and American legend Robert Frost (1874 – 1963) was best known for his introspective verse that was often full of past regrets. One poem that showcased Frost’s dry sense of humor was “The Rose Family.” Although the poem is a mere 10 lines long, it packs quite a poetical punch.
“The Rose Family” first appeared in print in 1927 and has been derided by Frost’s contemporaries during his lifetime. This was the time when poems such as T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” were so beloved of critics. American poet and critic Babette Deutsch (1895 – 1982) even went so far as to call “The Rose Family” as “unworthy of inclusion” of any literary journal or poetry anthology.
Unconventional Love Poem
Each line ends in the same sound “-ose” but never becomes repetitive. “The Rose Family” is spoken by an unseen narrator (presumably Frost himself) about the members of the rose family, including apples and pears. The narrator wonders if plums could be considered a rose (they are), but he firmly declares in the final lines “You, of course, are a rose/ But you were always a rose.”
The poem begins in the familiar “RO-ses are RED, VI-olets are BLUE” rhythm with “A rose is a rose” but then turns the usual love poem on its head. Instead of talking about the beloved’s great traits, the narrator wonders why fruits are related to roses. He has no problem equating his beloved with a rose, “of course.” This is emphasized in the final line, (“But you were always a rose”) which has the same rhythm as the second line, showing that the last line is a pair of the first and not the line that preceded it.
Poems, Metaphors and Life
The Robert Frost Encyclopedia (Greenwood Publishing Group; 2001) muses that Frost was poking fun at poets in general while making a simple yet touching deceleration of love. The usual metaphors used by poets may not be entirely accurate metaphors. For example, a rose is often thought of as a flower, but the rose family also encompasses apples, pears, plums, quinces, peaches, blackberries and strawberries.
Frost’s first line “A rose is a rose” echoes Gertrude Stein’s famous line to “Sacred Emily”, “A rose is a rose is a rose.” That line in turn echoed William Shakespeare’s line from “Romeo and Juliet” that “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Perhaps poets need to come up with new metaphors for their beloveds, since fruits like the quince are far different from conventional roses.
Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech.[2] His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. One of the most popular and critically respected American poets of the twentieth century,[3] Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He became one of America's rare "public literary figures, almost an artistic institution."[3] He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetic works. On July 22, 1961, Frost was named poet laureate of Vermont.
