The Toad Not Taken
The Toad Not Taken is one of the most famous poems by Robert F.R. Ost.
The poem[edit | edit source]
- The Toad Not Taken
Two toads croaked in a greenish lake,
Hearing them, I could not distinguish both
Or understand them, what would be at stake.
So I asked them what a way to take
While they were sitting in the undergrowth.
They looked at each other, just to be fair,
And claimed for their answer just one dime.
I wasn't rich, but had coin and didn't care;
Though as for that question toll there
made them the wealthiest toads of the time.
And so my coin with all the others did lay
On a silvery heap, some coins golden, some black.
Oh, could I keep this only for another day!
Yet I had to travel very light on my way
And secretly planned that I soon would be back.
I will tell you this truth with a sigh:
Though I heard some damned toads croak and dance,
Thousand toads croaked in the woods, and I -
I only found the one least treasured by.
In money that was quite a difference.
Interpretation[edit | edit source]
Some say that the toads are metaphors for certain presidents, some compare the content with the structure of fairy tales, and some take it as a warning of being greedy. Kilhart Clearney stated "There can't be too much greed", and the late Reverend Etchmiller saw biblical qualities and a hidden meaning in the second half.