Kindness, memory and the true meaning of human dwelling and building in two poems by Robert Frost
Full text
Re
is a de Es wlios No eame icanos, n! 4 ( 1996), pp.
217
-223
KINDNESS, MEMORY
AND
THE
TRUE
MEANING
OF
HUMAN DWELLING
AND BUILDING
IN
TWO
POEMS
BY ROBERT FROST
FÉLIX RODRÍGUEZ
RODR
ÍGUEZ
Uni e sidad Complu ense, Mad
id
In one
o
his l
as
lec u es o
s
ude
n
s Robe F os a gued ha poe y was no hing
bu «dwelling
on
hings»: «Gloa ing and do ing», said F os , «is he whole business,
you know. Dwelling on hing
s!
Dwelling on hings! «Dwelling
on
he ac !
l
i 's beau i ul
s a is i
cs-
you know, he e a e
so
ne beau i ul s a is ics o gloa on, oo.
Th
a 's
wha i
all i
s-
dwelling on some hing ha ib a es and s ays
in
you mind and keeps coming
back, ... »
(li in
g Voice, 191)
l
was no he i s
im
e ha he de ined poe y in such a
way. He had e e ed o his
po
em «Mowing» using simila e ms ou yea s ea lie . This
ea
ly
so
nne has o en been associa ed by c i ics, as he poe himsel also did when he
acknowledged ha i had «some hing o do wi h my own philosophy
o
a », (LV 133)
wi h F os 's belie s on he na u e and aims
o
poe ic w i ing.
The
emp
ha
sis
on
ac and
i s seemingly pa adoxical econcilia ion wi h
d
ea
ming
, would i in o his dis us
o
he ole
o
an
sce
nden al expe iences. As his w i ings on
h
e a
o
poe y clea ly show
F os depend
ed
on his unconscious acul ies, c ea i e imagina ion, inspi a ion, e e ies,
o he co
mpo
si ion
o
his poems. He
on
ce
explained ha poe y di e s om philosophy
in
hei sha ed
co
ncem
o knowledge in ha
h
e i s a ains i
un
consciousl
y.
Ye
he
always opposed, as he l ees in his ema kable poem «The Sound
o
T ees» ha may
alk o going bu ne e do,
h
e
i
ee sa ely oo ed in he g ound, a
com
ple e depa u e
om ea h o any p omising sky.
The
epea ed symbo
li
c mo emen s he speake s
o his
poems may ei he hink
o
a emp ing
o
ac ually engage
in
, a e a
lw
ays checked
a
he
s a
o
ollowed by an
eq
ually s ong impul
se
ha leads hem back o
ea
li y, o ea h.
His in en ion is o s ay wi h he hings, o dwell on he hings as he pu s i . Bu
how and o wha ex e
n
can a poe dwell
on
his ea h? F os uses
in
his s a emen
ju
s
218 Félix Rod íguez
Rod íguez
quo ed wo wo ds ha should make his meaning clea : gloa ing and do ing.
The
i s
one sugges s sa is ac ion and pleasu e and he second
on
e !o e and ca e. To
dwell
hen
would be bolh o ind sa is ac ion in he objec s
o
eali y,
o
enjoy hem, and
o
eel
a ec ion, e en passion as do ing also implies. This signi icance
o
he ac
o
dwelling
sui s well he epi aph in which F os de ined himsel as
some
one who had
had
all
his
li e ime a lo e
's
qua el wi h he wo ld. Though a cons an and o en us a ing
con lic
because na u e objec s
o
being known, i is
al
so
a ela ionship ha ne e lacks
lo ing
a ec ion.
F os emphasizes his endu ing and la
s
ing quali y
o
his do ing on hings
in
he
same quo a ion.
By
dwelling he
poe
keeps
in
his mind
h
e elemen s
o
na u e
ha
he
la es.
An
essen ial ea u e
o
his a ec ion is ha
he
ne e o ge s
o
dismisses
hem.
I
is a
pa
ssion ha main ains ali e he memo y
o
he hings ha one once lo ed.
To
dwell
would he e o e mean no only o eel passiona e lo e bu
o
be capable
o
emembe ing
long ha a ec ion. I is o ha e he capaci y o ai h ul and endu ing lo e,
o
ha
ib a ion and deep emo ion ha ne e anishes, o he hings ha he poe ca es o .
Dwelling is also he subjec
o
wo
o
he essays
o
Ma ín Heidegge
'
s
book
,
Poe y, Language, Though . In
he
i s
on
e, «Building Dwelling Thinking
»,
a e
es ablishing ha no human building is possible unless man
leams
o dwell on his
ea h
,
he e lec s on he eal and ue signi ican ce
o
he second e m. Dwelling, he a g
ues
, is
i s
o
ali «a s aying wi h hings» ha demands om
human
beings a di e en a i ude
in ela ion o he essen ial na u e
o
he hings a ound him. In o de o be
capa
ble
o
dwelling, hey should sa e and p o ec hose undamen al ea u es ha make
hing
s
wha
h
ey a e ins ead
o
was ing
and
mas e ing hem: «Dwelling is spa i
ng
and
p ese ing.
To
sa e he ea h a he han o exploi i
o
e en
wea i ou .
Sa ing
he
ea h does no mas e he ea h and
<loes
no subjuga e i , ... »( 150)
Heidegge , in
one
o
his
ead
ings
o
he
poe y
o
Holde lin
,
inds
hi
~
accomplished in poe ical wo ks. «Poe ically man dwells» he philosophe sha es wi h
h
e poe b
ec
ause as Heidegge explains poe y ep esen s he embodimen
o
he
ha mon)
o
man, ea h and sk
y.
The poe explo es he dimension and space
ex
is ing be
wee
ea h and sky and
in
doing so holds he necessa y balance
o
hose h ee
elemen s
Poe y allows poe s o measu e he span ha
se
pa a es he sky om he ea h ye
eac
h ol
hei imagina i e ligh s, as F os also de ended, p o okes an equally powe ul
ea
c io
owa ds
h
e ea h.
The
objec and aim
o
ali poe y, Heidegge ema ks, is no o anspon
man o a anscenden al eali y bu
o
make
him s
a
y wi h hings, o make him capabl(
o
dwelling: «Poe y does no ly abo e and su moun he
ea
h in
a d
e o escape
i
anc
ho e o e i . Poe y is wha i s b ings man on o he ea h, making him belong
o
i
and hus b ing him in o dwelling
.»
(«Poe ically Man Dwells», 218)
This measu ing ac i i y
o
poe y ha le s man dwell and he e o e
build
o
ea
h is agains he ene ic and excessi e
on
e ha he Ge man philo
so
phe sees
in
h(
modem me hods
o
building. Unable o hink
o
he ue na u e
o
dwelling ha allow!
him o be a peace wi h hings by
p
ese ing
h
ei iden i y and own sel , his building:
Kindness. Memo y
and
he T ue Meaning
o
Human Dwe/ling
and
Building
in
Two Poems 219
a e
h
e esul
o
a mechanical,
blind
and ca eless calcula ing ha causes
hi
s es less and
unpoe ic exis ence: «Thus», Heidegge says, «i migh
be
ha
ou
unpoe ic dwelling,
i s incapaci y
o
ake he measu
e
, de i es om a cu ious
excess
o
an ic measu ing
and calcula ing.» (228) Only
i
man
abandons his inapp opia e and hos ile a i ude
owa d
he
hing
s
on
ea h, will
he
eco e
h
e signi icance
o
dwelling.
Only
hen will
he
be
capab
le
o
humane
dwelling and building.
Bu
how
is
man
o
know
he
eal
na u e
o
dwelling and building?
Wha 's
mo e
,
how
is
he
going
o
u
se
ha knowledge
o
change
bis mis aken dwelling and building?
Heidegge
inds he answe s
o
hese
ques ions
once
mo e in Hold
e
lin. Poe s, he says,
can
be
a peace wi h hings because
hey a e
kind
o
hem
:»'As
long as Kindness,
The
Pu e, s ill s ays wi h his hea ...
,'
HOlde lin
says
in an idiom
he
liked o use:
'wi h
his
hea ,'
no
'in
bi
s
hea .'
Tha
is, i
has
come
o
he
dwelling being
o
man,
come
as
he
claim and appeal
o
h
e measu e o
he
hea
in
such
a way ha
he
hea u ns o
gi e
heed
o
he
measu e.» (229)
As
long
as
he
e ains hings in his memo y
he
will
go
on
measu ing
he
space
be ween
he
ea h
and
he
sky.
He
will only ail
o
do
i
i
his kindness abandons hei hea s. Dwelling,
ei he
poe ically
o
jus
humanly, is hus ied, as F os
had
also pu i , o
he
possibili y
o
do ing
and emembe ing long
he
hings ha belong
o
his ea h.
These
ideas and conside a ions
o
bo h
poe
and
philosophe
on
he
meaning
o
dwelling and building, a e e lec ed in
wo
poems
o
F os
in
which a na u al elemen ,
he b ook, is
he
subjec ha elici s
he
medi a ions
o
he
speake .
They
a e
no
he
only
poems
o his
in which b ooks appea .
How
e e , h
ey
p esen
simila i ies
in
manne
and con en
which
make hem
he
igh choices
o
s
how
he di e en ways
man
may
s ay
wi
h
hings. Ei he human beings a e
capab
le
o
ne e -ending
ca e
o hings as
hey a e and,
as
a consequence, he e
is
a
chance
o peace ul dwelling, o ,
on
he
con a y, hey neglec he objec s
o he
ex e na! wo ld and
b ing
upon hemsel es pains
and su e ings.
Th
e dis inc exis ences
o
hese b ooks
o
he
wo
po
ems show ha bo h
possibili ies
may
occu . The poem «
Hyla
B ook» was included
inF os 's
hi d collec ion
o
poe y, Moun ain In e al.
l
ells
o
a small b ook ha disappea s
e e y
June d ied
up
by
he
hea
o
la e sp ing.
By
ha ime i s bed is al eady illed wi h
he
dead
lea es
o
he
n
ea by
ees so ha
no
one
passing
by
would
no ice
ha
he e lowed a s eam
wi h
«song
and
speed.»
No
one
bu hose who, Jike he
sp
eake
o
he
poem,
saw
i
lashing
ea lie
in
he
yea . He s ill
emembe s
how
i
used
o
un
be a e
i wen
unde g ound
o
eed he ege a ion ha
g ows
on
wha
once
we e
i s banks.
l
may
n
o
be
as powe ul and
sw
i as hose
o he
b ook
s usually celeb a ed in
so
ngs bu
i
s memo y
has
emained
wi h he speake :
A b ook
o
non
e bu
who
emembe
long.
: his as
i
will
be
seen
is
o he
a
Than
wi h
b ooks
ak
en
o he whe e in song.
We Jo e he hings
we
lo e o wha hey a e.
(The Poe y
o
Rohe F os 119)
220 Félix Rod íguez Ro
d í
guez
The inal line
o
he poem, one
o
ho
se
sayings ha F os some imes
lik
ed
o
end his poems wi h, explains why he speake ecalls his ail and puny b ook.
Though
i is a
p
esen nowhe e o be seen, bis la e and a ec ion has kep i in his hea . And
he will e ain he p esence o he b ook un il i eco e s i s s eng h. The b ook s
a
ys
wi h him when he e is no ace o i s s eam bu in he minds
o
ho
se
who a e
ab
le
o
« emembe long.»
In
hi
s way, he speake has p o ed o ha e h
a
one hing need ul
a dwelling. His kindness has
p
ese ed and sa ed om obli ion a hing
o
his ea h
and, he has done i wi hou conside ing any kind
o
se
l
-in e es o pe sonal bene i .
His is he pu e kindness ha allows men o d
we
ll on hings.
Few people in he ci y depic ed in he poem «A B ook in he Ci y»
in
New
Hamp
shi e
, would know wha o say
i h
ey we e asked abou he
b o
ok ha so ne ime
ago licked
h
e wa
ll
s o he old a mhouse. No one seems
o
ecall when and h
ow,
as
ha
o
«Hyla B ook»,
i
aded. Unless hey looked a he old maps
o
his a me u al
en i onmen h
ey
would ell he speake
o
he poem w
ho
now seeks i s
p esen
whe eabou s, ha no b ook e e an wa e o e he e.
Fo
una ely a he b ook, his
ques ions a e li le mo e han a
p
e en
se
o emind he popula ion
o
his u ban
se
ing
ha i s ill li es and lows. Anyone sea ching a i should look in he sewe s wh
e e
he
cons an and un elen ing g ow h
o he
c
i
y has d i en
i :
Wha cinde loads dumped down?
The
b ook was h own
deep in a sew
e
dungeon unde s one
In
e id da kness s ill o li e and un- (231)
This ime he b ook has no been wiped ou by
h
e hea
o
he s
un
.
No
has
i
gone unde g ound o nou ish g ass and lowe s.
The
de elopmen
o
he ci y has umed
he b ook in o an useless and pal y hing. Ins ead
o
p ese ing
h
e essen ial na u e o
wha i is, a b ook, mode n building h
as
was ed an «inmo al hing»
as
he poem d
esc
i-
bes i .
I
migh well be his e e nal quali y
o
he b
o
ok, as opposed o he mo al
c
ha
ac
e
o
he human cons uc ions, ha gi es he speake he n
ecessa
y
con idence o sugges ha
i
is people's o ge ulness wha does n
o
!e
h
em
li e
a
peace. His wo ds sh
a
e so ne
o
ha menacing in lec ion
o
he
o
ice
ha wa ned he ees
o
«Sp ing
Po
o
ls
» agains «sweeping away» hose
pools
o
mel ed snow.
The
di e ence is ha whe eas in «Sp ing Pools»
he e
is
only he e bal h ea , in «A B ook
in
he Ci y» he p
eo
ple a e
al
eady be
in
g paid
back a wha hey ha e done o he b ook.
As
he app opia e c
enge
a
ha ing
being
o ced o
g a
pe unde
g ound
in o
il hy
and
da k
sewe s,
i
has
pushed
i s
way
in o
h
e un
consc
ious c
hannel
s
o
he mind. In a
so
o
eudean
e a
li
a
ion, he b ook haun s hem day and nigh making
h
em
eel uneasy and es less:
Kindness, Memo y and he T ue Meaning
o
Human Dwe//ing
and
Building in Two Poems 221
No
one
would
know
excep o ancien
maps
Tha
su
ch
a
b ook
an
wa e .
Bu
1
wonde
I
om
i s
being
kep
o e e unde
The
hough
may
no
ha e
isen
ha so
keep
This
new-buil ci y om
bo h
wo k and sleep. (231)
«
Thei
Ea s
a e
no se enaded wi h
he
pe pe ua(
mu mu
o
B ooks», as Robe
Be e ly desc ibed in 1705
in
his
book
The His o y and P esen S a e o/Vi ginia ( q . in
Leo
Ma x's
The Machine in he Ca den, 83),
he
encoun e
o
he i s colonis s wi h
na u e. Only
he
speake
would
escape
his cu se
ha
de e s he
es
o
he popula ion
om leading a quie and se ene exis ence.
He
seems o
be
he
only one who, as he
speake
o
«Hyla
B ook» is
ca
pable
o
emembe ing long.
He
has kep all h ough his
ime
his
ecollec ions
o
ha b ook
he
used
o
play
wi h:
J ask as
one
who
knew
he b ook, i s s
eng h
And
impulse, ha ing dipped a inge leng h
And
made
i
leap
my
knuckle, ha ing ossed
A lowe o y i s cu en whe e hey c ossed. (231)
Whe eas he ci y has no only bu ied and sunk in obli ion bu also dep i cd
h
e
b ook
o
i s essen ial ea u es
as
such, his memo y has
dwel
ai h ully upon i . His
ememb ance
o
ha pas ime
when
he
dipped his inge in o i s
wa e
and his wa ning
agains he ci y comes om
someone
who
lo ed and keeps
on
eeling a ec ion o he
b ook. Unlike he ci y whose « an ic calcula ing»,
as
H
eidegge
pu s i , has umed he
b ook in o
one
o
he numbe less lines ha con igu a e i s physiognom
y,
he has sa ed
he image
o
he
b ook
as i s
hould
look
and
be.
l
he
kind
o
building
o
his
modem
ci y p o es ha i s people
do
no
know
he eal signi icance
o
dwelling and, as a
consequence, hey
do
no
li e
a es
and
peace wi h hings,
he
possesses he indispen-
sable
elemen s: lo e and
he
capaci y
o
e ain i . His pu e kindness will pe ni
him
o
dwell wi h hings and he e o e
o
build.
Unkindness
was
p ecisely, acco ding
o
John
Ru
skin,
he
o igin
o
he
ulga and clumsy a chi ec u e
o
his
ime. In The Se en Lamps
o
A chi ec u e,
he
missed
he ca e ul and pa ien oil
o
housands
o
unknown
wo ke s
who
had
pu up
he
old
buildings.
In
hose a chcs, balconies, sculp u es
and
omamen s
o
chu ches and palaces ha
he
d ew
o his book,
he
pe cei ed
he
de o ed and
deligh ul e 01
o
he
anonymous
man
who
had
ca ed
he
s one. In opposi ion
o his a chi ec u e
o
old
in
which
m
en
pu
hei hea s in wha hey
we e
doing,
mode n building
is
he p oduc
o
wha
he
calls machine wo k. I
oug
h
o
be
despised and banished no
beca
use he esul s a e coa se
o
bad, bu because hey
do
no ell
o he
single
human
hea
ha
made
each
o
i s de ails.
They
migh be
222
Félix Rod íguez Rod íguez
pe ec buildings bu hei cold egula i y
o
lines and uni onni y igno e he eeling
and !o e ha mus always exis when hand and s one ouch:»I canno oo
o en
epea
»,
w o e Ruskin, «i is no coa
se
cu ing, i is no blun cu ing,
ha
is
neces
sa
ily bad; bu i is cold cu ing he Iook
o
equal ouble e e yw
he e
he
smoo h, di used anquili y
o
hea less pains ... » (162). Heideggge , alongside
F os , would ha e said ha he cause
o
all
h
ese p oblems is ha men
do
no
know how o dwell any mo e. They seem
o
ha e
o
go en how o s ay
wi
h
hings, o be a peace wi h hem, o lo e and
es
pec
he
b ook and he
s one.
In his sen se,
mod
em building is he highes exp ession
o
men 's loss
o
memo y
and ca e o hings. I a chi ec u e, as Ru
sk
in himse
l
obse es in he chap e
«The
Lamp
o
Memo y
»,
is one
o
« he lwo s ong conque o s
o
he o ge ulness
o
men»,(169) i seems ha i has esigned om his du y in mode o imes.
Poe s
, as
bo h Heidegge sees
in
Hé.ild
e lin and F os shows, h ough he speake
s
o
his
poem
s, in «Hyla
B
ook» and «A
B ook
in
h
e Ci y», con inue o dese e ha
name. They sa e and p ese e he ea h and he hings on
i
by
means
o
he
Ia
s ing !o e
h
ey eel o hem. As a
co
nse
qu
ence, poe y le s men
dwell
by
eminding h
em
o
he meaning
o
dwelling which
is
no hing bu o do e
on
an
d
s ay wi h hings. Building, on he o he hand, no Iong
e
based on he ue
na u
e
o
dw
elling, condems a he han escues hem om obli ion.
Someone, poe s pe haps, should ell he people
o
he ci ies, as I alo Cal ino
w o e
in
Las ci
ud
ades in isibles, ha he oad o hei u u e is pa
ed
wi h
ememb ances and ecollec ions.
Ma
co
Polo ealizes when he walks
in
he
ci ies he a i es in,
o
ju
s d eams as Kublai Khan, guesses, ha he mul iple
agmen s and de ails ha may con igu a e men 's e en ual exis ences a e al eady
gi en om he s a . The coun less boughs ha will shape and sus ain hei
li e
s
g ow
in
he pas . l is hen hei esponsabili y o p o ec hem so ha hey n
e e
wi he . As Cal ino pu s i , «los u u os
no
ealizados son sólo amas del pasado:
amas secas.» (42) The speake
o
«Hyla B ook», by singing o he b ook ha
once sung o him ill snow
an
d ain enew i s s eng h, seems o
be
awa e
o
his
close connec ion be ween pas and u u
e.
His kindness e ains he memo
y
o
h
is
b ook un il i washes o he dead l
ea
es ha now
co
nceal i s d ied
up
bed.
The u u e belongs o hose w
ho
ha e leamed ha
dw
elling on hings is
o
«
em
embe long.»
WORKSCITED
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/Jl
es. Mad id: Ediciones Si uela, 1994.
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L.
Robe F os . The Li ing Voice. Amhe s : Uni
e s
i y
ol
Massachusse s, 1974.
FROST, ROBE
RT.
The Poe 1y
o
Rohe F os . New Yo k: Hol , Rineha & Wins on
1966.
Ki11dness
, Memo y and
he
T ue
Meaning
o
H
uman
Dwelling and Building
in
Two
Poems 223
HEIDEGGER, MARTIN. Poe y,
Lan
guage, Though .
New
Yo k: Ha pe Colophon
Books, 1975.
MARX, LEO. The Machine in he Ca den. New Yo k: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess, 1964.
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o
A
chi ec u e. New Yo k: The Noonday P ess,
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