third stanza. The horse wonders if there is something wrong by shaking his harness asking, “if there is some mistake?” Then the speaker talks more about his non-masculine ways when he says, “The only other sound’s the sweep, of easy wind and downy flake.” He is giving himself away and he might not even know it, talking about “easy wind and downy flake.” Typical women would say those words.Another word that women would typically say is “lovely.” “The woods are lovely,” he is describing something as lovely. That is not something a man would do. Then he makes up an excuse for him having to leave and not be able to enjoy the view. “But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.” He might finally be realizing that he is starting to go a little soft, so he does not want to enjoy the view anymore. Just in case someone happens to see him in, he does not want anyone to know that he enjoys nature. In this poem, the speaker is implying that he is scared of the public’s perception of him. He does not want to be known as anything other than a man. He hopes that nobody saw him stopping that night, because then it could arouse suspicion of what he truly is. That is why he does not stay and watch the snow longer....
