The Silken Tent

By Robert Frost

Robert Frost (1874 - 1963) was the preeminent American poet of his generation. His poetry used the imagery of New England to explore the nature of the human soul.

"The Silken Tent"

She is as in a field a silken tent
At midday when a sunny summer breeze
Has dried the dew and all its ropes relent,
So that in guys it gently sways at ease,
And its supporting central cedar pole,
That is its pinnacle to heavenward
And signifies the sureness of the soul,
Seems to owe naught to any single cord,
But strictly held by none, is loosely bound
By countless silken ties of love and thought
To every thing on earth the compass round,
And only by one's going slightly taut
In the capriciousness of summer air
Is of the slightest bondage made aware.

So Frost is giving us here something of an extended metaphor, where we are learning about this woman from the image of a silken tent swaying in the “capricious” summer air. If you will forgive me, the tent image was startlingly revealing to my own life, so I would like to forget about the women and just hone in on the tent. The pole that holds the tent up “signifies the sureness of the soul” and is “loosely bound” by ties of “love and thought.” It sways in the wind, seemingly free and uninhibited. It is totally unaware of its bondage, until in “capriciousness” it sways far enough to pull one of its strings tight. Perhaps it is a shame that the pole can no longer sway in the freely in the wind, but its probably nice that the ropes caught it and prevented it from falling over.

From a former rebellious youth and a current a lover of obedience, what a perfect image of well thought out rules. Rules bind us loosely by love and thought. Good rules, when we do bump into them, keep us from falling. They provide sureness for the soul. Let that capricious summer air come, it feels nice in our hair, and we are bound just loosely enough to enjoy it safely.