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Tree at My Window Notes

In 'Tree At My Window,' Robert Frost explores the deep companionship between the speaker and a tree outside his window, emphasizing their emotional connection. The speaker reflects on how the tree has witnessed his life, providing a steadfast presence through both good and bad times. Ultimately, the poem highlights the unique bond between nature and the human experience, illustrating how the tree serves as a comforting and constant companion.

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120 views3 pages

Tree at My Window Notes

In 'Tree At My Window,' Robert Frost explores the deep companionship between the speaker and a tree outside his window, emphasizing their emotional connection. The speaker reflects on how the tree has witnessed his life, providing a steadfast presence through both good and bad times. Ultimately, the poem highlights the unique bond between nature and the human experience, illustrating how the tree serves as a comforting and constant companion.

Uploaded by

Ruzana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Tree At My Window

Robert Frost

Tree at my window, window tree,


My sash is lowered when night comes on;
But let there never be curtain drawn
Between you and me.

Vague dream head lifted out of the ground,


And thing next most diffuse to cloud,
Not all your light tongues talking aloud
Could be profound.

But tree, I have seen you taken and tossed,


And if you have seen me when I slept,
You have seen me when I was taken and swept
And all but lost.

That day she put our heads together,


Fate had her imagination about her,
Your head so much concerned with outer,
Mine with inner, weather.

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Summary
‘Tree At My Window’ by Robert Frost describes the feelings of companionship a speaker holds for an old,
dependable tree outside his window.
The poem begins with the speaker taking note of the tree outside his window and recognizing the fact that he’s
never going to be separated from it. The window might go up or down, but he will never leave.
He goes on to describe how thoughts of the tree have penetrated his mind. He is reminded of the “light” sounds
the leaves make, and the tree is further personified. The speaker goes on to tell the tree that he has seen it
through thick and thin. There have been bad storms and long nights. In this same manner, the tree has watched
over the speaker. It is also able to look through the window and see what’s going on the other side. The tree
often observes the speaker sleeping.
It becomes clear at the end of this piece that the speaker cares so deeply for the tree because it is a steadfast
presence in his life. No matter what he’s going through the tree has been, and always will be, there.

Analysis, Stanza by Stanza


Stanza One

Tree at my window, window tree,


My sash is lowered when night comes on;
But let there never be curtain drawn
Between you and me.
In the first stanza of this piece, the speaker begins by utilizing the phrase that would later come to be used as
the title. He is speculating on a tree outside his window. The words are repeated twice as if he is contemplating
what it means to see a tree at one’s window, or even be a “window tree.” The repetition of the name of the tree
also enhances its importance to the narrative. By the time a reader has passed the first line, they have read the
words “tree” and “window” three times, including the title.
Through the second, third, and fourth lines a reader becomes fully aware of how important the tree is to the
speaker. It has taken on a presence in his life that is closer to that of a human companion than a plant. One will
also realize that the poem itself is directed at the tree. The speaker tells his window tree that he never wants
there to be any “curtain” between the two of them. No matter if his “sash” is up or down (meaning the window
itself), mentally and emotionally there is no separation between them.

Stanza Two
Vague dream head lifted out of the ground,
And thing next most diffuse to cloud,
Not all your light tongues talking aloud
Could be profound.
The next lines are vaguer. Here the speaker seems to be discussing a dream. It clearly revolves around the tree
and its presence in the world. The speaker continues to refer to it as if it is his companion or friend. He makes a
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reference to the tree’s “light tongues” and the “talking aloud.” When one considers a tree and the noises it
makes, there is the “light” sound of leaves rustling. This would also fit in with his description of the “head
lifted out of the ground.” The lines also emphasize Frost’s use of personification. He refers to the tree as having
a “head” and “tongues.” It takes on the vague shape of a human being.

Stanza Three
But tree, I have seen you taken and tossed,
And if you have seen me when I slept,
You have seen me when I was taken and swept
And all but lost.
The third stanza is clearer and discusses how the speaker and the tree have been watching one another. A reader
is already aware that the speaker looks outside his window at the tree, but now we know that the tree has “seen
[him] when [he] slept. This is a lonely image. The tree is outside, suffering in a storm perhaps, and is only able
to look in on its companion. While the speaker has the ability to come and go from the room (although this
piece does make it seem like that’s a rare occurrence) the tree is stuck in the same place.
It is in the next lines that it becomes clear what the speaker values about this particular tree and why he spends
so much time watching it, talking about it and to it. The tree is steadfast in a way that the rest of life is not. It
has observed the speaker at his highs and lows and when everything was almost “lost.” One might assume,
considering the speaker’s professed affection for the tree, that it had something to do with all not being “lost.”
Perhaps the constant presence of the tree outside the window reassured the speaker. Then, in some way,
improved his life before he considered himself completely “lost.”

Stanza Four
That day she put our heads together,
Fate had her imagination about her,
Your head so much concerned with outer,
Mine with inner, weather.
The fourth stanza finalizes the connection the speaker and the tree have. Together they relate in a way that two
humans, or two trees, could not. The speaker has his own human concerns. They are his “inner…weather.” On
the other side of the spectrum, the tree only cares about the “outer” world.
In conclusion, a reader should consider how the speaker has an entire mental world to navigate. This is the
weather he is struggling with. The tree on the other hand is completely absorbed by the “outer.” It cares for the
actual weather, the rain, and storms. When they are beside one another these opposite care balances one
another out.

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