Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Lost Faith" by Robert Frost is a reflective and mournful poem that examines the fading legacy of a once powerful and inspiring cause. Through the imagery of war, dreams, and the inevitable decline of ideals, Frost explores themes of memory, disillusionment, and the search for meaning in the sacrifices of the past.

The poem begins by acknowledging how we honor our ancestors and their heroic deeds as their wars recede into history: "We shrine our fathers as their wars recede / With the heroic dead that died of old." The act of strewing flowers year after year symbolizes the ongoing respect and commemoration for the fallen soldiers. However, the poet quickly shifts to a critical reflection on the cause these soldiers fought for, suggesting that it is not as well-remembered or honored as their individual bravery: "But for the cause that was to them so dear, / Where shall it be so much as justly told / What the cause was?"

Frost laments that the cause, a dream of unity and equality under a divine law of love, is now dismissed with scorn: "No less a dream than of one law of love, / One equal people under God above! / But fallen to be a word of easy scorn." He portrays a society that has become cynical and disillusioned, failing to uphold the dream that inspired so many sacrifices. This disillusionment is reflected in the mocking attitudes of those who now see the dream of equality as naïve and impractical: "The Californian, by the western sea / Exults, and by the Gulf they laugh, / Saying, 'How can all men be free, / How equal, when God made them wheat and chaff?'"

The poem further explores the disconnect between the current generation's perceptions and the reality of the soldiers' beliefs. The modern world, engrossed in its own cynicism and pragmatism, fails to appreciate the depth and nobility of the soldiers' cause: "Too strange it seems to men of the dull throng / That such belief can have been soldier's shroud / More glorious than his battle colors proud."

Frost emphasizes that the soldiers' bravery and strength were driven by a profound dream, not merely by the desire for victory or personal glory: "One tribute to the meaning of their strife, / To which they gave youth, life." This dream, which once galvanized the North to fight against a bitter foe, is depicted as a powerful, almost divine force that provided strength and purpose.

Despite the poem's somber tone, Frost holds onto a glimmer of hope that this lost faith is not entirely dead. He suggests that the dream might return, possibly through renewed struggle and sacrifice: "Not late, but soon, it must return again -- / In blood mayhap, with maddening fife and drum, / And reaping souls -- I care not, so it come!" He acknowledges the dream's potential for both beauty and terror, referencing key battles like Malvern Hill and Gettysburg where the dream was fiercely defended.

In the closing lines, Frost reflects on the fleeting yet enduring nature of the dream: "But fair it seems in passing as still day / In fainter gold behind the golden stars, / Or mists on water that the morning ray, / Without a seeming zephyr, moves away." The dream, though it may appear to fade, remains a truth more profound than the disillusionments that have replaced it. The poet concludes by asserting the dream's lasting significance, even if it must be considered part of the past: "So true in passing, if it must be past."

"The Lost Faith" by Robert Frost is a poignant meditation on the decline of once-cherished ideals and the enduring impact of dreams that inspire profound sacrifice. Through rich imagery and reflective narrative, Frost captures the tension between memory and disillusionment, ultimately suggesting that the noblest dreams, though they may fade, retain a timeless and unassailable truth.

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