The Road not Taken - Robert Frost (by Alan Bates)

[vickiehill1]

Beautiful!! Lovely poem...& I miss you too Alan Bates.

[MrDawsonproductions]

Incredible poem!!! Congratulations!!!! I need to memorized it for tomorrow but is.... Easy

[Cedric27Qc]

What's the name of the music ?

[deejayedwards]

@5UPR4N0V4 Get out of here.

[ProSloughter]

i hate it!! i have to learn that song for test

[deejayedwards]

@ProSloughter Come back to this in 4 or 5 years, you know, when your 20-odd and you will see...

[Bosoa]

This poem it's not only about heroism but it's about keeping your own integrity when making a tough decision.

[44Greenwood44]

press 3 press 9 press 3 press 9,

sorry, im a shame to poetry

[crishellreads]

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. - The most unforgettable lines in a poem ever.

[TheGlobalPanacea]

This poem is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. If you have regrets, true and proper regrets, no matter how many times you read it, that final stanza will always bring a tear to your eye. The hesitation at "and I...I took the one less traveled by" is literary brilliance.

[361DegreesShow]

reminds me of YouTube, you get so caught up watching one video and then all of a sudden you see a video interesting on the side and u click on it and so on...

[ballinbitch97]

i can't stop laughing. 

[codred28]

lol i have to memorize this tonight and present this TOMORROW, I DONT EVEN KNOW THE FIRST PART

[KazuxVincent]

 11 people don't care for poerty

[stupidintellect90]

Aaahhh Mick from The Caretaker. I love this peom, I remember reading it ages ago.

[2010Rightman]

I`am a german pupil and we deal with this poem in our English lessons. I must say this is one of the best poems i´ve ever read although Goethe, Schiller, Wagner and Lessing , the big authors and poets, are from germany ....

[PaleSilverMoon]

@2010Rightman William Shakespeare was the biggest playwright and poet in history. He's from England :D

[Lesniewicz96]

@Bamadancr0, SAME!!! Lol.... This was probally the gayest video I've ever seen

[bamadancr0]

My literature teacher justt toldd us to memorize this whole poem andd recite it tomorrow for 6 test grades..smh.

[TheNique0Nique]

@bamadancr0 thas funny cuz i had ta do the same thing for school like 5 years ago

[GoodLyricsGirl]

I got to do a 5 paragraph essay on this poem Smh!

[antiHUMANDesigns]

Alan is so great at this.

[KayDemonXD]

that was graet

[RecalcitrantEgg]

I love this poem - but this is a ridiculous insult to Frost. He would never have wanted it performed this way.

[BaoJinKhan]

@RecalcitrantEgg How do you know?

[RabbiOps]

Dreadful pap.

Someone here writes: "Who in their right mind ever dislike this video?"

Frost for one. I pity his poor restless bones as endless idiots purchase his words for their gaudy and fatuous commercials.

[50033836]

@RabbiOps UBS are greedy jerks, but that doesn't detract in the slightest from a fine performance by Alan Bates.

Frost may be turning in the grave at the motivation behind this piece, but UBS gave us a beautiful recital, courtesy of Alan Bates.

[RabbiOps]

My dear @50033836, this is pretension beyond redemption. Of course Bates is a fine actor. He's just paying the bills. The corporation wants to heighten the sense of elite refinement to their brand, so they construct their monstrosity with appropriate dollops of mild classical music, moody lights and the unrestrained hamminess of a distinguished actor.Go ahead and write poor Bates a letter praising this particular spot if you wish to make him feel worse than he does now.

[RabbiOps]

@RabbiOps (presuming of course he can get the letter in the next world — but you know what I meant)

[elnino559]

pompous windbag

[jogoldfinger]

who in their right mind would ever dislike this video..

[boeingtameer]

this is incredible !

[oooj007mooo]

the theme of this poem is choices in our life ,chance comes once . the last stanza of this poem is the must fomus in english poets. i'm student of English literature on saudi arabia

[arhatyellow]

Wonderful to see and hear Alan Bates. He was always one of my favorite actors (men) after I saw him in "King of Hearts" with Genevieve Bujold. His Poetry readings are as wonderful as the reading of his lines in almost every film he ever did. He and his great heart are sorely missed as we pass on into a somewhat more mediocre future without him and many other passed giants. Thanks @headlink

[jblw189]

I agree with Hiciacetkols- The peom is about retrospection. It's called, "The road not taken", NOT "The road less traveled by". He is pondering on the road he "didn't" take. Somewhere ages and ages, hence, he will give a sigh. Nigga please, you know what he is talking about. And I don't mean that in a racist way.

[serdenarif]

Thank you dear Paradis for sharing.

Arif

[hackum1]

the best pronunciation of the word "difference" I've ever heard

[samigjoka1]

fantastic



[samigjoka1]

this is the most magical voice i have ever heard- great interpretation

[dungeonbachelor]

For me it was the first english poem I ever learnt. It was very hard for me cause back then non of those words made any sense to me. It were just random noises I had to remember.

Not only can I understand (most of) the words now I'm also able to appreciate the beauty that lies within them.

[kampori]

The first poem I ever truly loved. Changed my life :)

[eezysqueezy]

This poetry is brought to you by a bank and some annoying background music that detracts from the poem.

Good call, dickheads.

[eezysqueezy]

@Chabune No, you don't seem to get *it*. I love Robert Frost, I'm just not too keen on either the intrusive and unneccesary backgorund music or the corporate sponsorship. What is your problem anyway?

[zakdak]

Have you noticed that when you enter a supermarket they always make you turn right? You soon start to get conditioned to turn right all the time, for example getting on a train. If you come to a fork in your life: turn left.

[MrSharpAss]

WTF?! union bank commercial?

[nhardigg]

How rare to see someone with a British accent completely destroy what contributions we Americans have made to the English language. Must be a fascist plot.

[WhiteAbenaki]

Too fast, music too loud and intrusive, advertisement for a BANK at the end — not ideal conditions for enjoying Frost.

[rweerakkody4565]

very pretty poem.... im asked to recite it for the second time..... i just love it!!! =)))))

[SFConifer]

no musical accompaniment is needed

[papashez]

Far from being a heroic poem celebrating the untrodden path taken by the brave, it is a wonderfully executed exercise in procrastination, dithering, dreaming and contradiction! Even his ability to assess the 'roads' is so utterly vague and he can't even conclude which really is the one less travelled by as "they both equally stood" with both being "equally worn". It works well if your read it as "hit and hope" guy deciding to render his path heroically whatever the unknown outcome.

[papashez]

To SaveD241 contd....However it is true to say (I think) that everyone is entitled to an opinion or an interpretation. However, if one were to read Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est and interpret it in such a way as to conclude that the poet was a big fan of warfare and that he was endorsing "the old lie" that it was a sweet and fitting thing to die for one's country it would be very clearly misguided!

[papashez]

To SaveD241 - While I support your desire to encourage others to express themselves, it is not strictly true to say that there is no such thing as an "incorrect intepretation". I don't think it is fair to say that "Poetry is all about what it means to each individual". The poet is generally attempting to express something which he or she may do with varying degrees of success. Moreover, that success does not rest entirely on the poet, the reader or hearer contributes.

[Blutklage]

just. awesome.

[bigheadmonkeyboy]

He wrote this about his friend in the army who always spoke about the option he didn't take.

When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it.

[kennybcuttin1]

This poem is so powerful .

[UnitedPebbles]

This is what I ponder at night sometime. The roads I have not taken, at the many crossroads of my life.

[NaxNax96]

So, this is an ad by a bank I don't know of, being Greek and all. As it stands, where I live this bank is the road less travelled and this ad tells me to take it! If however, this bank becomes the No.1 bank in the world in the future and people do stumble upon this ad, then it shall tell them to steer clear of it and place their fate in some sprouting new bank! >)

[karcus0]

Lol, this is the manliest way to recite this poem, im doing this version for my english oral presentation.

[jalgobbler]

I have been reading this poem for the longest time and at first read a reader would suspect the poem is about taking the path 'less traveled by' but upon closer readin or listening in this case one will realize that both paths 'equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black' so there is no less travels by path. Robert understands humanitys need to sugar coat lifes choices but when it comes down to it most choices are often uneducated guesses. This to me is what the poem means.

[begood20000]

I hate poems read like this- All style and no substance

[superboberdo]

happy i found such a great poem to recite for english... sucked in to those doing shakespeare

[globescape]

The amazing thing about these poems are that they are eternally relevant. Those words will never go out of style because they pertain to the core of human existence.

[wickedrocketelvispel]

I often wonder what my life could have been like if I took a different road... if my family had moved when they wanted to... what friends I have chosen to keep... what roads I have taken alongside my friends... where I am today and how I got here... and how I like being who I am and I enjoy thinking the thoughts I do... this poem cuts right to the heart of that.

[razorcooldude]

yes ...and i have taken the road less travelled upon ....

[staylopictures]

Wow. This must be a joke. But why mistreat this poem so badly?

[LeenaAga100]

I LOVE this poem!!! As days goes by, and as I grow older, I realize that every phase of my life contains an experience where I have to choose between two roads! Sometimes I'm too coward, to I take the road everyone takes, but at other times I know how to build the courage, take the risk, and choose the "road less traveled by," and this made me the person I am today; it simply "made ALL the difference." TAKE A RISK, DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS MIGHT THINK OF YOU! It's YOUR life!

[happysplinters]

@LeenaAga100

:)

[Jacqueline904]

i love this so much, even though its an ad lol, good literature

[Xynder110]

It also talks about that the popular decision isn't always right, or the best decision.

[rocky112c]

Could we have this WITHOUT background music? Alan's reading is compelling enough on its own.

[Neoandrew1]

The Poem is great but his delivery and voice make it 1000x`s more enjoyable to hear!

[allboyallgirl]

hahahahahahaha christ

[AFROMANFAN]

The commercials are awesome I wish they were still aired today...

[Ennio444]

I'd like that there were things like those in every language's poetry...

[zfirer]

@Ennio444

you cant talk

[Ennio444]

Yes, I can talk.

[suzyg18]

Being the first poem I ever memorized, it's beauty has remained with me ever since.

Near perfection.

[jinee003]

@suzyg18

[simplyraqz]

outstanding delivery! :)

[kruskalalgorithm]

I like the bit at the beginning, the 'Oh, hello there, you just caught me reading' thing, verrrrry natural

[MrStephenRGilman]

@kruskalalgorithm Clearly, he puts down the book because it's too damned hard to read in that dim blue light. ;-)

[PericlesGR]

@kruskalalgorithm Book is blank though!

[AngelGirlBeethoven]

Beautiful in it's simplicity, this poem captures the very essense of life, of self discovery, of aged regret. It is most certainly a "thought that transcends time".

[shmelding007]

Wow, that was pretty gay

[AngelGirlBeethoven]

Oh? That's an interesting theory. What backing to you have to support that preposition?

[katv09]

Some of us rolled up to school but dropped out.

Some of us turned up to fight but got knocked out.

[samdon815]

As just as fair

[JirkaParal]

I have never heard something so beautiful !!

[gillan5]

Oh, I did not know that Mr. Alan Bates is dead. Maybe it was not worth a news break here in Germany. I will almost remember this marvellous actor from his playing in Alexis Sorbas.

[dundalkmd]

What is Frost trying to say ?

[headlink]

Looking back through the decisions you made in your live, there may have been one where your did choose the unconventional but - in the end or for you your hopes - ideal option.

[shmelding007]

your gay

[WGConard1996]

@headlink not at all

thats wat it means if u only listen 2 the last 3 lines

wat it actually means is

he chose a path though he didnt no which one he was going to choose

and he contradicts himself alot saying which one is better but than he figures out that they r both pretty much the same

but he says that later on in life he will want to believe that he chose the better road so he will trick himself

[rvd3]

@headlink It's about the way people look back on their decisions and convince themselves they made the right choice when really it is not possible to tell.

[cacrow]

@rvd3 Right on. It's amazing how many people misread this poem (including, I imagine, the people who sponsored this commercial).

[Ennio444]

Rather about how you always will wonder what would have been your life like if you had chosen another path.

[SaveD241]

@headlink Incorrect interpretation.

[biancaryanfanatic03]

@SaveD241 There's no such thing as an "incorrect interpretation", actually. Poetry is all about what it means to each individual. Nice try, though.

[papashez]

@biancaryanfanatic03 While I support your desire to encourage others to express themselves, it is not strictly true to say that there is no such thing as an "incorrect intepretation". I don't think it is fair to say that "Poetry is all about what it means to each individual". The poet is generally attempting to express something which he or she may do with varying degrees of success. Moreover, that success does not rest entirely on the poet, the reader or hearer contributes. 

[papashez]

@biancaryanfanatic03 However it is true to say (I think) that everyone is entitled to an opinion or an interpretation. However, if one were to read Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est and interpret it in such a way as to conclude that the poet was a big fan of warfare and that he was endorsing "the old lie" that it was a sweet and fitting thing to die for one's country it would be very clearly misguided!

[PsychedelicScenery]

@headlink WRONG. Frost is mocking that very idea in this poem! Everyone misinterprets this. They read the final stanza and think the meaning lies there. It seems so obvious that they forget what they had read just moments before. Frost fist says that one has been more traveled, then says they're equally taken. He looks down one and takes the other, then wonders what the other would have led to, but forgets when he arrives at another fork in the road. He will never know what the other road

[PsychedelicScenery]

@PsychedelicScenery held, he knows only what he has experienced.  The other road may have led to even greater prosperity, but "ages and ages hence," you'd always like to think you went the unconventional way. And given the choice, that's what you'll be telling your grandkids. There is no road less traveled, there are only decisions in the present that add up and form a unique road that is traveled only by it's creator.

[cowdodododo]

@headlink No, he is describing mans desire to either transcend natures natural division, or mans desire to apply to control to nature, possibly by transcending natural divide and how there is a fundemental sense of tension between the transience of man and the uncontained nature of nature.

[shmelding007]

he wanted AIDS and got it

[Ennio444]

Actually, I think Frost meant that when you make a choice, you think you did the best, but you left other paths behind, and you might wonder (hence the sight) what would have happened if you had chosen another path. It's not that the way you chose made a better difference, it's not about good or bad choices, it's about all choices, and the road you choose makes ALL the difference.

[Jacqueline904]

@Ennio444 exactly thats what i was about to say to someone on here that said uhh duhh what is frost uhh trying to say gosh, some people got it to read in deeply into these words, just some dont

[kapkid9454]

@dundalkmd When I first heard this poem it made me think it was talking about decisions we take in life and the reason/s we go with those decisions. Now that I'm a bit older I hear a different message. It's the fact that we as human beings are able to reflect on past experiences both good and bad. That we are able to imagine "what if I went the other way?" and still be the same. It is of regret that we can only pass thru this "road" once so you better make it a unforgetable and meaningfull one.

[frost122585]

@dundalkmd It is about being original- taking the initiative, being inventive- adventurous - trying something different, new etc. And that if you do, one day you will look back at your decision and see how it changed your life. Which is what he was about- a poet- someone who tries to break new ground and be original with his work. Like his famous quote says:

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself."

[zygodactylexicon]

@dundalkmd

I always took it to mean it takes courage to go a new way, a departure from the familiar; it could also lift the spirits of those who feel that they are somehow second-rate: let's pay attention to those that are not the first, the best, or the brightest, let us look at this one here, and see where he or she might lead us. It could be to something wonderful. A new road, a road less traveled. it is about looking around and taking stock of what is around you, seeing the unseen.

[HiciacetKolas]

@zygodactylexicon

The poem is about regret. The poet secretly regrets taking the path he took (or more correctly, he regrets NOT taking the other path he didn't take), and he tries to convince himself otherwise by pretending to be original and a non-conformist. The poem actually mentions that both roads are traveled about the same. That's why the poet "sighs" at the end. That's also why the poem is called "The Road not Taken," because the focal point is the road he didn't take.

[zygodactylexicon]

@HiciacetKolas Yes, I believe you are right.

[jugador80]

Look like a queer

[DLCAUS462]

What's the music in the background?

[travisangeli]

Alain Bates was a great man, one of a kind...one of the best, most beautiful actors ever.

When Alan Bates passsed away...on TV I saw his friend, colleague Glenda Jackson costar in "women in love" and "return of the soldier)

She said " the older he became,. the better actor he became"

with brief, but so meanningful , loving comment, Glenda Jackson made great tribute to her late friend Alan Bates.

Shwe know how he would have wanted to be rememberesd.

love.fan of Alan and Glenda,

Armand:)

[grobbledonk]

He hams this up a bit overmuch - sounds like Badger from Wind In The Willows, and no background music is needed to lend a strong poem sentiment. I love Alan Bates though - a fellow Derbian.

[ThingsWeSaidToday]

RIP Alan

[HalloweenQueen777]

when did he die?

[ThingsWeSaidToday]

27 December 2003

[liveletlive99]

Favourite

[ButterflyButterfly01]

These are amazing... the whole series, thank you so much for uploading Headlink. Really very happy to find them - beautiful poems, wonderfully spoken. Thank you

[BookstoreCat]

John Cleese gives an interesting reading on the 2cd set, Seven Ages, on Naxos AudioBooks.

[julia59]

Thank you.

[diminulette]

An new understanding? Two roads diverge in a yellow wood... and which in all truth as less wear than the one behind me? For at the crossroads should I not turn back perhaps both roads have been worne for far to long? Which is the road less traveled then the one behind if one has not gone forward and to what would one go foward to good or evil. Turn this thing around.

[ii191]

i have to resite this to my class this REALLy helped thanks!!!!

[mikdan777]

Thanks for posting. I think there is not much to say...Everything I may say is little.One of the best actors ever and one of the best commercials ever IMO.

[Rayomand]

Neil French is the best copywriter in the world.

[tomelty]

Thank you so much for this video.