Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Frost's poem "Two Look at Two" explores the themes of nature, connection, and the boundaries between humans and the natural world. The poem captures a moment where a couple, hiking up a mountain, encounters a doe and a buck, leading to a profound reflection on their relationship and their place within nature.

The poem begins with the couple's hike being cut short: "Love and forgetting might have carried them / A little further up the mountain side / With night so near, but not much further up." This opening sets the scene, emphasizing their shared experience and the approaching darkness, which creates a sense of urgency and intimacy. They must soon turn back due to the challenging path and impending night: "They must have halted soon in any case / With thoughts of a path back, how rough it was / With rock and washout, and unsafe in darkness."

Their progress is physically halted by "a tumbled wall / With barbed-wire binding," a literal and metaphorical barrier. As they contemplate this obstacle, they experience a poignant moment: "Spending what onward impulse they still had / In one last look the way they must not go." This suggests a longing for the unattainable and a recognition of their limitations.

However, their pause leads to an unexpected encounter: "A doe from round a spruce stood looking at them / Across the wall, as near the wall as they." The doe's appearance brings a shift in perspective. The couple and the doe observe each other from their respective sides of the wall, symbolizing the divide between human and animal realms. The doe perceives them without fear, seeing them as harmless and "something that, though strange, / She could not trouble her mind with too long."

Just as they believe the encounter is over, a buck appears: "A buck from round the spruce stood looking at them / Across the wall as near the wall as they." The buck, more assertive and inquisitive than the doe, challenges the couple's sense of presence with his piercing gaze: "He viewed them quizzically with jerks of head, / As if to ask, 'Why don't you make some motion? / Or give some sign of life? Because you can't.'" This interaction pushes the couple to the brink of feeling "dared / To stretch a proffering hand—and a spell-breaking." The encounter reaches a climax with the realization of mutual observation and the silent communication of respect and understanding between the two species.

The poem concludes with the couple reflecting on the experience: "Two had seen two, whichever side you spoke from. / This must be all.' It was all. Still they stood, / A great wave from it going over them." The couple feels a deep connection with the earth, as if nature itself acknowledges and reciprocates their love: "As if the earth in one unlooked-for favour / Had made them certain earth returned their love."

"Two Look at Two" is a contemplative poem that highlights the interconnection between humans and nature. Frost uses the physical barrier of the wall and the mutual observation between the couple and the deer to explore themes of boundary and connection. The poem suggests that moments of stillness and reflection can lead to profound insights and affirmations of belonging within the natural world. Through the encounter with the doe and buck, the couple gains a renewed sense of their place in the world and the silent, respectful bond they share with the creatures around them.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...