Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost: AABB Rhyme Scheme with Iambic Trimeter

English

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” The poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost is written in aabb rhyme scheme with iambic trimeter. Through the use of paradox, Frost suggests that the most cherished elements of life will eventually fade. The poem depends heavily on metaphors to show what we value will eventually succumb to time.
The poem begins with contrasting nature’s green with gold. It’s as if the green of life is golden to those who treasure it. Whether that is the beauty of virginity or the innocence of childhood, it begins as untarnished gold. The alliteration of “h” in the next line creates softness in the words. Frost personifies even Mother Nature’s difficulty remaining in that precious state of gold, as it is her “hardest hue to hold”.
The next sentence is a metaphor of a leaf as a flower. Something as ordinary as a leaf can be seen as beautiful like a flower. In life, people place emphasis on different things that holds value to them personally. Simple things take on a deeper meaning in the eyes of those who cherishes them. The tone shifts midsentence when an “hour” is mentioned. Though it may be longer than an hour in life, there is still a looming end waiting on the horizon. The verb choice of “subsides” isn’t a harsh verb like plummet. It’s a more gradual way of losing something which allows us to come to terms with the loss. The allusion to Eden signifies the loss of a paradise that can never be undone. It’s like the original feelings of joy we relate to something that ultimately doesn’t last. Once again there is alliteration that flows with the earlier sentence. The “dawn goes down to day” reinforces the inevitability of these changes. We are not in control of the seasons, any more than we are in certain aspects of our lives. Dawn becoming day also highlights how such changes are natural occurrences. Even in our lives, all good things must come to an end. In these three separate instances, the same process occurs. Just as the title suggests, Frost believes what we love the most will eventually be lost in due time.