Birches by Robert Frost: An Optical Poem, 2024, From the Vaults

When I see birches bend to left and right, Across the lines of straighter darker trees, , I like to think some boys been swinging them. On April 7, 1955, Robert Frost delivered a poetry reading at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Here, the Pulitzer Prizewinning author recites his classic poem Birches, in which an older narrator reflects on the solitude of a childhood spent swinging birch trees in the forest. This optical poem illustrates Frosts recitation with artworks from The Mets collection juxtaposed with footage of wildlife in Kingston, New York. The event, originally recorded on reeltoreel audio tape, was digitized in 2020. Other poets invited to read at The Met included W. H. Auden, T. S. Eliot, and E. E. Cummings. Read the poem: Subscribe for new content from The Met: , TheMet, Art, TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt, Museum, FromtheVaults 2024 The Metropolitan Museum of Art