"Nothing Gold Can Stay" Poem

"Nothing Gold Can Stay" Poem

by Robert Frost

"Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Poetry (Part 2)

• We learned about poetry and the different parts, specifically lines and stanzas.

• Lines: words in one row of a poem

• Stanzas: groups of lines

• Rhyme: words at the end of a line that have similar sounds (cry, try; smile, mile; love, dove)

• When we label the rhyme we use letters at the end such as A/B/C

Rhyme Example

Notice that the first and third lines rhyme (night, bright) so an "A" is put next to each to show that they have similar sounds.

Notice that the second and fourth lines rhyme (skin, grin) so a "B" is put next to each to show it has a different sound from the "A" group, but that they have similar sounds.

Once you have a third rhyme, you go to the next letter (C, D, E, etc.)

We Do: Label the Rhymes

"Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Were we correct?

"Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost

Nature’s first green is gold, A

Her hardest hue to hold. A

Her early leaf’s a flower; B

But only so an hour. B

Then leaf subsides to leaf. C

So Eden sank to grief, C

So dawn goes down to day. D

Nothing gold can stay. D

Let's look at lines 1-2 together...

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

What is "nature's cycle"? What happens to all the living trees and flowers each year?

If "nature's first green" is the color "gold" does that mean the plant is blooming or dying?

What does the word "hue" mean? (This is one of our vocabulary words!)

Why might the "gold" be a hard "hue to hold"?

You Do!

• In your groups, analyze lines 3-8 and answer the questions. You must uncover the theme of this poem.

• Your answers must be exactly the same when you hand in your work.

• Here's some hints: look out for one allusion and use your prior knowledge of seasons to help you.

• There will be a group survey at the end and you will be graded by your group members on your participation in the group. You will get points off if you do not contribute to the group.