A Time to Talk

A Time to Talk

by Robert Frost

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven’t hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.

Summary of A Time to Talk

  • Popularity of “A Time to Talk”: Robert Frost, a celebrated American poet wrote, ‘A Time to Talk’. It is a thought-provoking literary marvel about friendship. It was first published in 1916, in his book, Mountain Interval. The poem illustrates how beautifully friends drag us out from the hectic routine of our lives. It also illustrates how we readily put a full stop to our work to enjoy some time with friends. The poem deals with the phenomenon of love and friendship.
  • “A Time to Talk” As a Representative of Wonder: The poem revolves around a kind and friendly gesture of a friend whose random visit brings joy to the speaker. The poem begins when the speaker is working on his farm, and suddenly his friend appears on a horse and wants the speaker to join him. The speaker, though busy on his farm, readily sets aside his work and rushes toward him. This friendly gesture shows his love for his friend. The reader can understand the power of friendship that the speaker never minds the sudden and uninformed arrival; he rather cherishes him wholeheartedly.
  • Major Themes in “A Time to Talk”: Interaction, the value of friendship, and life are the major themes of the poem. On a surface level, this poem is a simple description of a candid relation, while on a deeper level, it reflects that sometimes the business of life does not allow us to meet our friends and loved ones. But when the same friends call us, we readily give up all the engagements and spend time with them. Although the speaker is shown busy with his work, as soon as he sees his friend, he forgets all the work and joins him cheerfully.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “A Time to Talk”

literary devices are modes that represent the writer’s ideas, feelings, and emotions. It is through these devices the writers make their few words appealing to the readers. Robert Frost has also used some literary devices in this poem to make it appealing. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem is given below.

  1. Allegory: It is a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and events. Allegoric expressions in the poem reflect the importance of friendship in one’s life. For example, “No, not as there is a time to talk.”
  2. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession such as the sound of /h/ in “And slows his horse to a meaning walk”.
  3. Enjambment: It is a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,

“When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven’t hoed,”

  1. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “When a friend calls to me from the road eath”, “I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground” and “And shout from where I am, What is it.”
  2. Symbolism: Symbolism means using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings such as “the stone wall” symbolizes the bridge that sets us apart from our friends, and the expression “a time to talk” symbolizes the beauty of friendship.
  3. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poet has used metaphoric expression in the second last line of the poem, where “stone wall” is a metaphor for a barrier or an obstacle such as; “And plod: I go up to the stone wall.”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “A Time to Talk”

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

  1. End Rhyme: End Rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Although it’s a free verse poem, yet Robert Frost has used end rhyme in this poem such as; “tall/wall”, “road/hoed” and “walk/talk.”
  2. Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
  3. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are two stanzas in this poem, each comprising a different number of verses.

Quotes to be Used

The lines below are suitable to use in a speech while talking about a memorable meeting with a friend. You can also use it for narrating unforgettable past stories to your children.

“When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven’t hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is a time to talk.”