---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The figure a poem makes. It begins in…"
description: "\"The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom.\" — Robert Frost"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/robert-frost-371_delight_the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-del_2312285.png"
---

#  The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in…

![“The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom.” quote by Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/robert-frost-371_delight_the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-del_2312285.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/robert-frost-371_delight_the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-del_2312285.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/robert-frost-371_delight_the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-del_2312285.png)

> “The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom.”

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A poem’s structure starts with joy and ends with insight, reflecting a journey from delight to wisdom.

**In simple terms:** Poetry moves from joy to wisdom.

Key Takeaway

Seek joy, then reflect for wisdom.

Themes

creativity wisdom growth

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- education
- personal reflection
- art critique

Key Concepts

literary analysis philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does delight lead to insight?
- What wisdom have you gained from joy?

A Different Perspective

Not all poems follow this pattern.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delight/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Figure Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figure-poem-1392130/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Love is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-is/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poem Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem-makes-1392131/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-is/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/)

## Related quotes

> [The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom... in a clarification of life - not necessarily a great clarification,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-delight-and-ends-in-wisdom-in-a/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [“THE FIGURE A POEM MAKES No one can really hold that ecstasy should be static and stand still in one place. It begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-figure-a-poem-makes-no-one-can-really-hold-that-ecstasy-should-be/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [It should be of the pleasure of a poem itself to tell how it can. The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-should-be-of-the-pleasure-of-a-poem-itself-to-tell-how-it-can-the/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [Many performance poets seem to believe that yelling a poem makes it comprehensible. They are wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-nelson/many-performance-poets-seem-to-believe-that-yelling-a-poem-makes-it/)

[Marilyn Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-nelson/)

> [When words become a poem, it makes sense to me, but I don't know how to explain to someone why the words are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/when-words-become-a-poem-it-makes-sense-to-me-but-i-don-t-know-how-to/)

[Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/)

> [Poetic success is when you write a poem that makes you excited and bewildered and aglow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/poetic-success-is-when-you-write-a-poem-that-makes-you-excited-and/)

[Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/)

> [There's something immediate about the experience of reading a poem. It makes sense in my own mind, but I'm trying to figure out a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/there-s-something-immediate-about-the-experience-of-reading-a-poem-it/)

[Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/)

> [A poem makes clear without making simple. Poetry's language carries what lives outside language. It's as if you were given a 5-gallon bucket with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/a-poem-makes-clear-without-making-simple-poetry-s-language-carries/)

[Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/)

> [“Isn’t it amazing, amazing, amazing that something so specific can be so resonant? These are the filaments, filaments, filaments from that Walt Whitman poem.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ze-frank/isn-t-it-amazing-amazing-amazing-that-something-so-specific-can-be-so/)

[Ze Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ze-frank/)

> [Again like Williams, with the emphasis now regrettable, when a man makes a poem, makes it mind you, he takes the words as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-creeley/again-like-williams-with-the-emphasis-now-regrettable-when-a-man/)

[Robert Creeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-creeley/)

> [“..the poem is made of sequences in which images, figures of speech and rhythm are undivided. One needs to enter this ‘undivision’", and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-deguy/the-poem-is-made-of-sequences-in-which-images-figures-of-speech-and/)

[Michel Deguy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-deguy/)

> [When a man makes a poem, makes it, mind you, he takes words as he finds them interrelated about him and composes them -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/when-a-man-makes-a-poem-makes-it-mind-you-he-takes-words-as-he-finds/)

[William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/)

> [Poetry is what is lost in translation. It is also what is lost in interpretation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/poetry-is-what-is-lost-in-translation-it-is-also-what-is-lost-in/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [To me, a poem is almost like someone whispering to another person, or you hear the whispering in your head. I hope with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/to-me-a-poem-is-almost-like-someone-whispering-to-another-person-or/)

[Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/)

> [The poem is not a thing we see; it is, rather, a light by which we may see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/the-poem-is-not-a-thing-we-see-it-is-rather-a-light-by-which-we-may/)

[Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/)

## More by Robert Frost

> [The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working when you get up in the morning, and doesn't stop until you get to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-brain-is-a-wonderful-organ-it-starts-working-when-you-get-up-in/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [When I see birches bend to left and right... I like to think some boy's been swinging them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/when-i-see-birches-bend-to-left-and-right-i-like-to-think-some-boy-s/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [“The promising young poets, the hopefuls? I'd name Richard Wilbur, Peter Viereck, Karl Shapiro, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, John Ciardi...Leonard Bacon...but it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-promising-young-poets-the-hopefuls-i-d-name-richard-wilbur-peter/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [Lord, I have loved Your sky, Be it said against or for me, Have loved it clear and high, Or low and stormy...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/lord-i-have-loved-your-sky-be-it-said-against-or-for-me-have-loved-it/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [Let him that is without stone among you cast the first thing he can lay his hands on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/let-him-that-is-without-stone-among-you-cast-the-first-thing-he-can/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [It is only a moment here and a moment there that the greatest writer has. Some cognizance of the fact must be taken in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-is-only-a-moment-here-and-a-moment-there-that-the-greatest-writer/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [And of course there must be something wrong In wanting to silence any song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/and-of-course-there-must-be-something-wrong-in-wanting-to-silence-any/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-are-two-kinds-of-teachers-the-kind-that-fill-you-with-so-much/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [The rose is a rose, And was always a rose. But now the theory goes That the apple's a rose, And the pear is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-rose-is-a-rose-and-was-always-a-rose-but-now-the-theory-goes-that/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I'll forgive Thy great big joke on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/forgive-o-lord-my-little-jokes-on-thee-and-i-ll-forgive-thy-great-big/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [What an exciting age it is we live in With all this talk about the hope of youth And nothing made of youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/what-an-exciting-age-it-is-we-live-in-with-all-this-talk-about-the/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [The footpath down to the well is healed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-footpath-down-to-the-well-is-healed/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [There is the fear that we shan't prove worthy in the eyes of someone who knows us at least as well as we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-is-the-fear-that-we-shan-t-prove-worthy-in-the-eyes-of-someone/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [It's God - I recognised him from Blake's picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-s-god-i-recognised-him-from-blake-s-picture/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [Create and stir other people to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/create-and-stir-other-people-to-create/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

[Explore all 624 Robert Frost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

## More Delight quotes

> [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Shhh.” He put a finger to her lips. “Hear me out. I cannot deny that I would've liked to have made babies with you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/shhh-he-put-a-finger-to-her-lips-hear-me-out-i-cannot-deny-that-i/)

[Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/)

> [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/)

[James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/)

> [There was an Old Man of Messina, Whose daughter was named Opsibeena; She wore a small wig, and rode out on a pig, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lear/there-was-an-old-man-of-messina-whose-daughter-was-named-opsibeena/)

[Edward Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lear/)

> [A real flame of love is a subtle thing. It burns as a will-o'-the-wisp, dancing onward to fairy lands of delight. It roars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dreiser/a-real-flame-of-love-is-a-subtle-thing-it-burns-as-a-will-o-the-wisp/)

[Theodore Dreiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dreiser/)

> [“The gift of words, the source of enjoyment, the source of delight that comes within and the unfading beauty and energy of words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/the-gift-of-words-the-source-of-enjoyment-the-source-of-delight-that/)

[Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/)

> [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/)

[Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/)

> [All the world's bravery that delights our eyes is but thy several liveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-cowley/all-the-world-s-bravery-that-delights-our-eyes-is-but-thy-several/)

[Abraham Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-cowley/)

> [It might be lonelier Without the Loneliness - I’m so accustomed to my Fate - Perhaps the Other - Peace - Would interrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/it-might-be-lonelier-without-the-loneliness-i-m-so-accustomed-to-my/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

> [Design should do the same thing in everyday life that art does when encountered: amaze us, scare us or delight us, but certainly open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-betsky/design-should-do-the-same-thing-in-everyday-life-that-art-does-when/)

[Aaron Betsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-betsky/)

> [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [Every natural power exhilarates; a true talent delights the possessor first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-natural-power-exhilarates-a-true-talent-delights-the-possessor/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If we are to define science, ... it does not consist so much in knowing, nor even in "organized knowledge," as it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sanders-peirce/if-we-are-to-define-science-it-does-not-consist-so-much-in-knowing/)

[Charles Sanders Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sanders-peirce/)

> [Significantly, God in Genesis 1 pronounces the rest of creation "good" before humanity is created. The psalmist and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-clapp/significantly-god-in-genesis-1-pronounces-the-rest-of-creation-good/)

[Rodney Clapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-clapp/)

> [Being asked to play 'The Doctor' is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/being-asked-to-play-the-doctor-is-an-amazing-privilege-like-the/)

[Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/)

[Browse all 2,212 Delight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delight/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Frost"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-delight-and-ends-in-wisdom/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Delight"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-delight-and-ends-in-wisdom/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/robert-frost-371_delight_the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-del_2312285.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/robert-frost-371_delight_the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-del_2312285.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/robert-frost-371_delight_the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-del_2312285.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom.” — Robert Frost",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Robert Frost",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The figure a poem makes. It...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-delight-and-ends-in-wisdom/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-delight-and-ends-in-wisdom/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
