The Silken Tent By Robert Frost

She is as in a field a silken tent

At midday when the 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 slightlest bondage made aware.

Literal Meaning:

· In this poem, Robert Frost describes a tent in the middle of a field that is being warmed by the
summer air. Because of the summer sun, the tent is able to stand independently of all else, and
does not need the ropes to support itself. However, when it rains, or when there is a change in
weather, the tent relies on the central pole as well as other supports to keep itself up.

· The Silken Tent: Robert Frost - Summary and Critical Analysis

In the poem The Silken Tent the poet is comparing the tent with the woman whom the poet loved. The
summer breeze stirs the tent and has dried the dew. When the dew has dried, the tent becomes tight.
And all its ropes also have become loose and the ropes move easily and gently.

Similarly, when the woman is free from her domestic duties, she freely goes here and there. The cedar
pole in the centre has erected the tent and the pole is the symbol of the sureness of the soul. Like the
supporting pole of the tent, her soul is reliable. As the tent is tied with many ropes, she is also bound
with ties of love and thought. As summer air makes the tent feel that it is bound, so her marriage also
reminds her that she is bound to someone. In the poem bondage means the condition of being under
some power or influence. It refers to her marriage vows and her husband. Both of them are bound by
religious and social and legal obligations.

The Silken Tent is a love poem Frost wrote for Morrison is vividly sensual and suggests how she balanced
her love obligations. A seamless one-sentence sonnet the poem embodies Morrison "as in a field a silken
tent" which is stirred by summer breeze and sways, bound not by a "single cord" but "loosely bound and
by countless silken ties of love and thought. Though the poem may simply signify Morrison's generally
rich engagement with the world, it may also represent her involvement in numerous love affairs; the
"capriciousness of summer air", her cheerful promiscuity, the "slightest bondage" her apparently
unconfined marriage.

The poet conveys the sense of woman's character that she is involved in numerous love affairs. She is
capricious like the summer air. She is cheerfully promiscuous. She is apparently unconfined to her
marriage. She is unobtrusively strong and sure of what she does. Her love and thoughtfulness for others
and her own happiness shines clearly. The Silken Tent is an immense metaphor, comparing woman and
tent in a multitude of ways. Relating this sonnet we can quote Frost's remark, "I prefer the synecdoche in
poetry, that figure of speech in which we use a part for a whole."

· Poem Summary

Here is a fine example of the English sonnet by Robert Frost that takes my fancy. Iambic Pentameter with
structure abab cdcd efef for the three quatrains and then the rhyming summary couplet

The opening line although a little cumbersome is perhaps ‘as good as’ … she walks in beauty like the
night (Byron)

Interesting word used ‘guys‘ a double take in today’s usage that happens to fit the theme of the sonnet.

… what a wonderful way to walk the world … being special, gentle, at ease with life, and bonded to all in
a loose sort of way in love and thought connected … by countless silken ties of love and thought

… and of more importance tied by a strong spiritual sense … not dependent on any one alone but
everyone giving something to hold her in place to a heavenly position (to the central cedar pole) … and
this heavenly connection making her effective in coverage … making the person effective in life as well as
making the tent usable … imagine a sagging tent without an upright central pole

… I really like the suggested ambience in the closing couplet … and the word capricious = fanciful,
unpredictable … quite fitting … moving freely in the lightness of a summer breeze – and only by going
slightly taught does she (or indeed we) become aware of that heavenly connection that binds – always
subtle, always latent