After Apple-Picking as a Pastoral Poem | After Apple-Picking as a Nature Poem

After Apple-Picking as a Pastoral Poem

Robert Frost was a Radiant nature poet by the nature of his poetry He made an active mark in the poetic world by creating a range of poetry describing sensual beauty of nature as well as some other categories of poetry which did also have the pantheistic philosophy of nature. It was more encouraging for the other writers also to choose the subjects of their poems in simple manners as well as the beautiful landscape of their poems. Most of the contemporary American poets were duly influenced by the writing styles and tones of his writings specially his manners in which he used to establish his poetic base.

Frost found beauty in commonplace objects, such as a drooping birch tree as well as in old stones wall, stones paved ways. His note making poem, ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening‘ is such a poem in which naturally describes the white beauty of frosty woods. The poet on his way journey through the forest stops by the beauty of the frosty night and enchanted by the beauty of the chilled night. He becomes a spell bound that he cannot move from the place. The main thing in his poem is the mere description of nature by which he makes an active contribution in the world of nature poetry.

‘After Apple-Picking‘ is a poem of nature which is written in pastoral format, which promotes nothing but a swift bonding between nature and human mind. The painting of village as well as the agrarian society really sets up the platform of natural world. The concept of the poem is taking away all the way the collective concern of the readers having a really holy faith on nature. The mention of the apple picker is nothing but of a mediator between the god and the mortal soul. There is greenery all around. The fascinating atmosphere as well as the delicate aroma of the ripe apples is the growing connectivity of the very sweet faith over nature as well the pantheistic philosophy of nature.

Each and every line of the poem helps us to create a holistic faith over nature and the mention of simplicity over natural phenomena as well as the corresponding consequences is the living examples going away from material world to the world of nature. The mention of drowsiness here in the poetic line makes a bold attempt to show that how the apple picker is falling sick for the delicacy of nature. He cannot sleep but only he can nurture or can brood over the past feelings of the morning memory

“I got from looking through a pane of glass”

However, the above line from the poem brings forth a different view of the world through the poetic mind. The poet through the eyes of the apple picker visualizes the world wearing the glass of ice which at the same time melts down following the natural consequences and the apple picker lets it be. The apples picker cannot forget easily the sense as well as the emotions attached to his morning memory. He must carry on with the sense of morning beauty.

“I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight

I got from looking through a pane of glass

I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough”

The poetic lines here in this poem bring back in our mind of Keats’ ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’ or the poem ‘The solitary Reaper‘. In both of these poems the poets excite our reader’s mind towards natural phenomena. William Wordsworth cannot forget the unknown melodious tone o nature. Even after taking a long journey he has to carry out the tone of the music. The same thing is here in the poem here that the apple picker is unable to swipe away from the mind the memory of the morning beauty. He has to keep up in his subconscious mind that memory intact even after such a fitful wintry night to sleep. His mind is over conscious though he knows that he is feeling drowsy. A kind of spell that works over the apple picker and he greatly lulled by the wintry night charm. He can no longer continue with his apple picking work just because he is fed up. He just wants to take rest but he can’t so easily. And that is the core value of the natural world that the apple picker feels in his heart. He speculates in his mind that keeps him awake all the time.

Also Read:

• Symbolism in After Apple-Picking by Robert Frost
• Critical Appreciation of C.G. Rossetti’s An Apple Gathering

William Wordsworth in his most celebrated poem, ‘Upon Westminster Bridge’ is enchanted by the morning beauty of the London city which consists of church domes, ships, mountains as well as the bridge itself. The quietness and the meditation of the city keeps the poet spell bound for a while, his journey is disrupted for a moment. However, that beauty of the London visualized by the post helps us speculate over our mind to think about the ‘magnified apples’ in this poem, ‘After picking an apple. The poet here not only writes about the nature but also deals with the dream world that is also an obvious part of this magnified world of nature.

“And I keep hearing from the cellar bin

The rumbling sound

Of load on load of apples coming in.”

The above lines from the poem describe how the apple picker is disturbed in his mind about the imaginative sound of the ripe apples falling in the barrel. The sound is strong in his sense that it keeps him awake all the time and that sound he is still bearing in his mind like William Wordsworth bore the song of solitary reaper in his poem. The woodchuck is famous for its winter sleep. It goes for hibernation. But here the poet cannot do that.

Here, in this poem Nature acts as a spirit to the apple picker. The language used in the poem is just the emblems of natural world as well as consequences. That reminds us of Emerson’s paradigm at the beginning of ‘Language’ in Nature. In this theory words are described as the signs of natural facts. And at the same time words are also sign of particular spiritual facts. The apple picking work here to the poet through the mind of the apple picker is just an inspiration to the poet.