The Road Not Taken
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.
Vocabulary List
Here are important words from the poem that can help you understand it better. Try to guess their meaning from the context first, then check the definitions.
-
Diverged /daɪˈvərʤd/Separated from another route and went in a different direction.IPA: /daɪˈvɜːrdʒd/ | Chinese: 分岔 (fēn chà) | Spanish: divergido
-
Undergrowth /ˈəndərˌgroʊθ/A dense growth of shrubs and other plants, especially under trees in a forest.IPA: /ˈʌndərˌɡroʊθ/ | Chinese: 灌木丛 (guànmùcóng) | Spanish: maleza
-
Claim /kleɪm/A demand or request for something considered one's due; a right.IPA: /kleɪm/ | Chinese: 权利 (quánlì) | Spanish: reclamo
-
Trodden /ˈtrɑdən/Walked on or crushed with the feet.IPA: /ˈtrɒdən/ | Chinese: 踩踏 (cǎità) | Spanish: pisado
-
Sigh /saɪ/A long, deep audible exhalation expressing sadness, relief, or tiredness.IPA: /saɪ/ | Chinese: 叹息 (tànxī) | Spanish: suspiro
-
Hence /hɛns/From this time; in the future.IPA: /hɛns/ | Chinese: 今后 (jīnhòu) | Spanish: de aquí a
-
Difference /ˈdɪfərəns/A point or way in which people or things are not the same.IPA: /ˈdɪfrəns/ | Chinese: 差异 (chāyì) | Spanish: diferencia
Comprehension Questions
Answer these questions about the poem, "The Road Not Taken."
- What is the central decision the speaker has to make?
- How does the speaker describe the two roads in the first three stanzas? Are they really different?
- In the last stanza, how does the speaker reflect on their choice?
- What does the phrase "the one less traveled by" imply about the choice the speaker made?
- What is the main theme of the poem?