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Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
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Text Authorship:
- by Robert Frost (1874 - 1963), "The Road not Taken", appears in Mountain Interval, first published 1916 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Herbert Elwell (1898 - 1974), "The Road not Taken", published 1942 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Randall Thompson (1899 - 1984), "The Road not Taken", published 1959 [ SATB chorus and piano ], from Frostiana [sung text not yet checked]
- by Douglas Gordon Weiland (b. 1954), "The Road not Taken", op. 67 no. 4 (2022-2023) [ baritone and piano ], from Seven Songs to Poems by Robert Frost, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Walter A. Aue) , "Der nicht gegangene Weg", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 144
Zwei Wege trennten sich im fahlen Wald und, weil ich nicht auf beiden konnte gehn und einer bleiben, macht' ich lange Halt und schaute auf des einen Wegs Gestalt, soweit ich durch die Büsche konnte sehn. Ging dann den andern - der, genauso schön, den größer'n Anspruch hatte auf Gebrauch, denn Gras wuchs drauf und brauchte Drübergehn - obgleich die Wand'rer, muß ich schon gestehn, gebrauchten einen wie den andern auch. Sie lagen vor mir, beide gleich, zuhauf mit Blättern, die kein Tritt noch aufgestört. Ich hob mir einen Weg für später auf! Doch Wege führ'n zu and'rer Wege Lauf: Ich wußte wohl, daß keiner wiederkehrt. Und seufzend werd' ich einmal sicherlich es dort erzählen, wo die Zeit verweht: Zwei Waldeswege trennten sich und ich - ich ging und wählt' den stilleren für mich - und das hat all mein Leben umgedreht.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2010 by Walter A. Aue, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Walter A. Aue. Contact: waue (AT) dal (DOT) ca
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Based on:
- a text in English by Robert Frost (1874 - 1963), "The Road not Taken", appears in Mountain Interval, first published 1916
This text was added to the website: 2010-01-12
Line count: 20
Word count: 138