Nothing Gold Can Stay Analysis

New Hampshire1923Nature'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.

.: :.

Thank you to the man who said Felix Culpa, hes right. This all has to do with fortune fall. He compares the thought of materialistic beauty (flower, gold) to the beauty of nature taking its course. In the beginning we have green and gold. On one hand we have green, the first mark of spring, the guarantee of life. Now, on the other hand we have gold, precious and permanent as a metal, but Frost isn’t looking at gold as a metal but as a color. The first blush of vegetation for the New England birch and willow is not green but the mist of fragile gold. So green is the theory of spring; gold is the fact. Its hue is described as hard to hold, the associate of wealth itself. Next we have leaf and flower. The comparison is a metaphor rather than a simile, leaf is flower, not leaf bears a resemblance to or is like a flower. The leaf exists in cloak for an instant and then moves on to its true state as leaf. In blind sight, our expectations stand out: obvious gold shifts to green; obvious flower subsides into leaf. With each change also comes emotional loss. The hue of gold has great value because of its associations of richness, and the color cannot be maintained. Just like flower, fragile and is temporary in its beauty. The paradoxes both represent a fall strained in the verbs "subsides" and "sank" as well as in the implied loss of color and beauty, yet each is a rise into a new value."So Eden sank to grief" with the same unnoticeable movement that changed gold to green and made flower sink into leaf. By analogy the third term in the poem takes on the character of the first two; gold is green; flower is leaf; Eden is grief. In every case the second factor is actually a value, a part of a natural process by which the cycle of fuller life is completed. Even though each shift seems like deterioration or down grade, the sense of a fall is actually a part of an order of nature, rather than being forced its reinforced as the final natural metaphor summarize the first three shifts of the dispute: "So dawn goes down to day." It completes the cycle; the fall is really no fall to be mourned. It is a felix culpa or “fortunate fall”. Our whole experience as humans makes us conscious that dawn is not uncertain, or lovely, but incomplete and brief. Our expectation is that dawn does not "go down" to day, but comes up. The uncertain perfections of gold, of flower, of Eden, and finally of dawn are linked to corresponding terms which are all set as a diminished value. In each case however, the related term is impending of a larger value. If you accept overall that the green leaf and the full sunlight of day are more attractive than the temporary beauty of the golden flower, and the rose flush of a brief dawn, you have to accept Eden sinking into grief is a rise into a larger life. Nature’s cycle that transforms flower to leaf, and dawn to day, balances each materialistic loss by a real gain.

| Posted on 2008-10-01 | by a guest

.: :.

I believe that this poem is like a look at life. When your a child you love life and the people around it, but nobody will stay a child forever;Her early leafs a flower, BUT ONLY SO AN HOUR; but then the rest of your life isnt a pain but its not GOLD like your childhood; So Eden sank to grief, So dawn gows sown to day; which meens that life goes by in time but death will always follw you because you cannot run away from death. nothing gold can stay.
~mariam~

| Posted on 2008-09-03 | by a guest

.: :.

i think this poem means thAT nothin good stays that way. Life has its up n down so if your happy one day dont think that your goin to be happy the next.

| Posted on 2008-05-27 | by a guest

.: DUDE :.

i think "nothing gold can stay" captures us young. We move on in life and eveything that we find "comforting" leaves sooner or later. Stay gold is to stay true in a sense. It how in this world we forget our innocence and we change into everyone else. We eventually all fade.

| Posted on 2008-05-19 | by a guest

.: the happy fall :.

What about the idea of the felix culpa, or the "happy fall" from Eden's grace? When I first read this poem in high school, I thought it spoke beautifully to the idea of the ephemerality of true beauty. However, some years later, I get the feeling that I may have glossed over another interpretation, and that is that while gold, like Eden, represents that which is perfect, good and innocent, it also represents that which is ignorant. To be human is to have taken from the Tree of Knowledge and to be conscious of what it is that we do - and in gathering more knowledge, we approach "gold" or "Eden" from the other perspective, which is that of God's. I think this interpretation is much easier to glean from Frost's first draft of this poem, which was titled "Nothing Golden Stays."

| Posted on 2008-05-12 | by a guest

.: poem :.

Loss of innoncence
Humans- nature
gold-innoncence
We lose our innnocence as we go through life.
Nothing gold can stay

| Posted on 2008-05-07 | by a guest

.: Nothing Gold Can Stay :.

This has been my favorite poem since i first read it in middle school. It used to bring upon sad emotions when I read about how fleeting the most precious things in life are. It can also be used as an analogy to life itself which is so fragile. However, now I look at the poem in a different way. Now i read it and feel it is reffering to how temporary everything in lfe is, good and bad. This poem now gives me hope that the hard times will pass soon enough. I then also remember another one of Frost's quotes, "I can sum up everything I've learned about life in three words: it goes on."
-Alexandra, 16

| Posted on 2008-05-01 | by a guest

.: Stay Gold :.

I think that this is a very lovely poem it talks about being gold. I think that means the thinks in your life that you hold dearly and close to your heart and how quickly that those thinks are taken away form you. In the novel The Outsiders they refer to it as being like a child I think that is also a very good analogy like how when your a child you are innocent and unknowing that’s gold and as you mature the gold fades away.

| Posted on 2008-04-29 | by a guest

.: :.

i think this poem is about life and death in a way. It is like everything that is precious to you can never stay forever.

| Posted on 2008-04-26 | by a guest

.: so eden sank with greif" :.

eden can also symbolize a mother watching the innocence being lost from her child.
gold stays for a short while.
"her early leaf is a flower"
can be related to that old x about how innocence is lost after
certian relations.
"but only so an hour is showing that time goes by quickly and before you know it, all that was innocent turns dirty.

| Posted on 2008-04-16 | by a guest

.: Though of Poem :.

I think this poem is alot about life...
How you take your 1st breath and how just the 1st breath can lead you the way trough your life!
&& yeah thats what i think so yeah...
Laterr'Z dawg!
Zana...

| Posted on 2008-04-03 | by a guest

.: poems :.

roses are red vioets are blue these poems stick to to me like glue.
That means they are good.

| Posted on 2008-04-03 | by a guest

.: sum1 :.

This poem makes me feel insignificant. It represents a force larger than me, larger than anyone in the world. It represents the gradual loss of innocence that I cannot control or stop, no matter how hared I try. This loss of innocence begins at a point in time when we are not able to cherish the innocence we have. But now we know that it is going, and see it being whittled away every day, yet we cannot stop it. We are powerless against this loss of innocence, which is why this poem makes me feel insignificant.

| Posted on 2008-03-31 | by a guest

.: :.

i liked this poem it made me think of like how life is short and how you lose inncoense in your life its like johny said to ponyboy he said " stay gold ponyboy, stay gold" but in essence he wont be able to stay gold forever because you will have to grow up sometime

| Posted on 2008-03-31 | by a guest

.: ngcs :.

i think that this poem refers to how there are good moments in a persons life but they get old if they happen al lot. u should value every little "gold" moment. Robert Frost is a very deliberate author so everything means somthing even the punctuation.

| Posted on 2008-03-30 | by a guest

.: One Comment :.

A very beautiful piece of writing. Consider, it not only as a comment on the inevitablitity of change, the transformation from an initial short lived state of specialness and or purity to a more mundane state but also as a statement on the authors general negative state of mind, many great poets have been haunted by the destructive side of both nature, and in consequence therefore mankind. In its overtones of loss, and despair it reflects the christian mythology of descent which is so much a part of the subconcious of most English language poets of the last century. But it should be noted the poem also contains discrepancies, in 'dawn goes down to day' the colour change is actually from red to gold and the gold remains throughout the day, the darkness of a haunted mind fails to see that much that is gold actually does remain, change is not necessarily loss, adulthood has its own gold, but the human mind that has not found its way to the light of truth fails to recognise this. Would we really want to live in an eternal dawn, as eternal 6 month old babies or to never see the green of summer of the riotous colours of autumn leaves? Many leaves are red before the gold for an even shorter time, the gold is just one state in the transition.

| Posted on 2008-03-26 | by a guest

.: Nothing Gold can Stay :.

I think by saying gold that it means anything pure or good in the world. By saying nothing gold can stay I think it means that Anything good will eventually be gone.

| Posted on 2008-03-19 | by a guest

.: NGCS :.

I believe that Nature in the poem could be a mother and the green could be her child and a child to her mother is precious or golden. The child develops quickly and then fades into the rest of the world with all of the other people.

| Posted on 2008-03-17 | by a guest

.: nothing gold can stayy :.

I think that the poem is referring to life. It is saying to live life at the fullest. Everything good has to end sometime so you should make the most of what you have when you have it..
=] thats what i think

| Posted on 2008-03-11 | by a guest

.: nothing gold :.

I think that this poem is meant to be more general than childhood and youth. I think he is talking about everything knew and how great it is. But as time goes on it loses it's value.

| Posted on 2008-03-03 | by a guest

.: Life and childhood :.

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.
You’re gold when you’re a kid, like green
when ur a kid everythings new, dawn
When u get used to everything it’s day.
S.E. Hinton

| Posted on 2008-02-28 | by a guest

.: Sanchez :.

The first two lines remind me of nature's dominance and a new life after the death of winter, due to the yellow and golden leaves that Frost describes. The next two lines are talking about the first leaf that blooms is a very delicate leaf that is similar to a flower, however he says that it only lasts an hour. The next two lines seem like a leaf that is beautiful and very rare, although it turns into a leaf, "then leaf subsides to leaf." The last 2 lines remind me of dawn, which is bright red and gold, but it goes down to a normal sunshine. The movement of the sun relates to a person's life, which is from it's first beginning to it's lessened maturity.
That's just my two cents on "Nothing Gold Can Stay"

| Posted on 2008-02-12 | by a guest

.: Nothing Gold :.

At first I thought it to be about the cycles in life, the changes. Maybe because I was an optimist, I wanted so badly to believe the gold could come back. Now though I think of life as going around once. The gold doesn’t reoccur with the seasons as I had once hoped. Because once you’ve lost the gold, lost the innocence the view you have on everything changes. Things become darker, because reality in its entirety has moments of bleakness. Once you’ve faded, once the gold is chipped there’s no going back. Blinders can’t take away what’s already been seen. In some respects I feel as if with the loss of my grandmother so young the gold has been peeled off of me. So I’ve tried to stay pure in the ways I can control. Who wouldn’t want to cling to gold? It’s hard in a world like this.

| Posted on 2008-02-04 | by a guest

.: :.

This is my favorite poem becuase it is short yet right to the pointand is a beauiful play on words.To me this poem reminds me to cherish the golden things in life because before you know it they will be gone.

| Posted on 2008-01-07 | by a guest

.: :.

I vizualize first winter trees all without leaves and people who get bored of sleeping nature. Then comes the first green and it is so beautiful it pleases the eye.

| Posted on 2007-12-14 | by a guest

.: :.

To me it seems you're thinking about childhood too literally. It's not about years it's about experience and how you face everything that comes into your life.
New things are only new for some time, then they get old and become a part of your everyday life, you no longer notice them or value them.
This means you should try to see these moments if you want to stay gold... See the beauty in life, discover new things and never get bored with the small and great miracles of life.

| Posted on 2007-12-10 | by a guest

.: Critiques Nothing Gold Ca :.

my opinion is the meaning of the poem is does half to do with childhood and losing virgnity cause when were young we dont now much but when we age we think more of sex and when we loses pour viginity we mature. when young were virgines and innocent whe we age we ll lose
it "nothing Gold can Stay"

| Posted on 2007-12-03 | by a guest

.: Meaning of Poem :.

I think the poem Nothing gold can stay by robert frost uses symbols to create the meaning and impact of the poem. The gold to me symbolizes youth and innocence. We all start out young and fresh and free. However, we don't remain that way becuse we will end up growing aging and more. We are not going to be beautiful forever. Just like Nothing Gold Can Stay!

By: Deepannita

| Posted on 2007-11-24 | by a guest

.: Meaning of Poem :.

I think the poem Nothing gold can stay by robert frost uses symbols to create the meaning and impact of the poem. The gold to me symbolizes youth and innocence. We all start out young and fresh and free. However, we don't remain that way becuse we will end up growing aging and more. We are not going to be beautiful forever. Just like Nothing Gold Can Stay!

By: Deepannita

| Posted on 2007-11-24 | by a guest

.: I LOVE THIS POEM :.

Literally, this poem is all about nature but i think it is pertaining to man's life. The word 'green' on the first line symbolizes YOUTH particularly FRESHNESS. Whereas in the third line it made mention of a 'flower' which is oftenly associated with BEAUTY.
But whatever we possess no matter how precious it is, no matter how beautiful it is, we have to wake up to the REALITY that people come generation to generation as the line says "...leaf after leaf". Nothing really is permanent... Everything fades away in time.... Nothing gold can stay...



| Posted on 2007-11-14 | by a guest

.: :.

i feel the outsider capetured this poem differently. i believe like many others that this was an endeavor to show people that things that are great and wonderful (some people suggested childhood) you should always hold onto and try to never let them slip away but they do. i also feel that as a 7th grader we focus to much on just reading a book not disiphering what it truely means and i'm glad i did.

| Posted on 2007-10-27 | by a guest

.: :.

i feel the poem is about transience in all beings, Eden sank to greif because they sinned and became mortal. We all have to realise that youth never lasts, beauty never lasts, we will all die eventually as part of transience. It begins as a picture of beauty in the world then the use of synnonomy, the irregular rhythm of the last line and the allusion to the Garden of Eden make it quite clear that the world is going to end. It relates to alot of Frost's other poems like 'Fire and Ice' which is apocalyptic. 'Provide, provide' is also a poem about transience.

| Posted on 2007-09-25 | by a guest

.: Brevity :.

I've always loved the shocking brevity of this poem, as it makes the poem easy to memorize and... aggrandize? What's the propper word for "chewing scenery"?

I've only now noticed that it's self-referential. Perhaps that's why it's memorable?

| Posted on 2007-09-20 | by a guest

.: Gold, an new begining :.

The idea of gold in this story tells me that everything starts out golden. Plants, animals, even humans, we are all innocent in the beginning. When understand the world, maybe not everything in it, but we start to realize that everything is the same to us. When you get down to Eden, I take into consideration the Bible. It talks about Eden's garden. I believe Frost is referring to the idea that in the garden there were many wonderful things. If they were to lose their youth or lose their flowers Eden would become upset. Then, dawn goes down to day, saying that we have gotten older and understand the world more than we did in the beginning. We can never stay innocent to the world, violence, or love.

"Stay Golden"
("The Outsiders")

| Posted on 2007-09-12 | by a guest

.: Gold, an new begining :.

The idea of gold in this story tells me that everything starts out golden. Plants, animals, even humans, we are all innocent in the beginning. When understand the world, maybe not everything in it, but we start to realize that everything is the same to us. When you get down to Eden, I take into consideration the Bible. It talks about Eden's garden. I believe Frost is referring to the idea that in the garden there were many wonderful things. If they were to lose their youth or lose their flowers Eden would become upset. Then, dawn goes down to day, saying that we have gotten older and understand the world more than we did in the beginning. We can never stay innocent to the world, violence, or love.

"Stay Golden"
("The Outsiders")

| Posted on 2007-09-12 | by a guest

.: Nothing Gold Can Stay :.

THis poem touched me <3

I believe that the that the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay really means we are "gold" when we are young but we cant be that way forever because we have to grow up. Like a sunset, it is golden but it cant stay that way forever it has to become night, dark and cold.

I believe the poem also entitles our need as humans to enjoy the "golden" time of our lives where we are innocent and pure,
Thats what i believe.


| Posted on 2007-08-30 | by a guest

.: agree Childhood :.

The novel The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton uses its meaning of childhood. Johnny Cade (JC) dies in this book, but tells Ponyboy Curtis to "stay gold". Dally Winston didn't want Johnny to turn himself in to the police. Dally said people are "hardened" and become "cold" in jail, like him. S. E. Hinton was definitely relating to childhood. She started writing the book when she was 15.

| Posted on 2007-07-20 | by a guest

.: but ... :.

what if he also means that all the "gold" or highlights of our lives can not stay because without the green or other colors in our lives the gold would no longer glitter as it does. I've always tacked on the sense that he means a part of life is this inevitable cycle that begets the realization of nature(or life)'s beauty.

| Posted on 2007-06-15 | by a guest

.: Everything Gold can Last :.

The first theme highlighted within the poem basicaly states that inevitably all good things must come to an end, or in the words of the poem nothing gold can stay. S.E Hinton choose this poem to portray it's theme through Johnny and Ponyboy's pridicament, That is that both of them are enjoying a glorious care-free week at the church in windrixville, prehaps the best time of there life, free from any current worry, however there is still an underlying force pulling on them as they know they must return to their home and and real life along with all problems ,socioeconic and other that go with it. It is there unfortunate circumstance that causes us as readers to accept the simple fact that all good things must come to an end and to feel sympathy for the protagonist and co protagonist as they prepare to face the trials that await them..

| Posted on 2007-06-10 | by a guest

.: MELY!! <3 :.



This poem made me realize the importance of life. I believe robert was trying to say that when your a child you dont realize these moments are the highlight of your life. You are too young to try to remember these memories. You start growing up and your innocense goes away, you turn into adults. Nothing gold an stay means that your not going to be a child forever so its too late to try to change thing now.
=] AT least this is what i believe

forgot to puy my name sorry..


| Posted on 2007-06-07 | by a guest