Poems That Changed My Life
Works of art impact us as humans. From paintings to poems, it can evoke emotions and inspire reflection. They leave a lasting impression on us that can change the trajectory of our life. A few verses have had that kind of impact on me.
The Road Less Traveled - Robert Frost
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.
A poster of Frost's poem hung in my grandmother's bedroom in her home when I was a boy. I remember reading it over and over again before falling asleep. To me, this poem means not following the herd. It inspired a unique path in my life. From art school to entrepreneurship, the road less traveled is a reminder to find my unique way, and that has made all the difference.
Eldorado - Edgar Allan Poe
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old—
This knight so bold—
And o’er his heart a shadow—
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow—
'Shadow,' said he,
'Where can it be—
This land of Eldorado?'
'Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,'
The shade replied,—
'If you seek for Eldorado!
Eldorado is the mythical city of gold that was never found. Many people spend their entire lives searching for some great reward—a pot of gold at the end of their rainbow. The truth is, the journey is the treasure. Every day is a gift. When we live in the present, we have found our Eldorado.
Quote by Henry David Thoreau
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life; living is so dear; nor do I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I want to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to out to rout all that was not life..."
This quote from Thoreau resonated with me the first time I heard it. His words inspire me to live life to the fullest. To leave no stone unturned. To "suck all the marrow of life" to me means getting the most out of every day we have on earth. It reminds me that life is a gift and to be grateful for today.
