Patrick DePeters

‘A Considerable Speck’ by Robert Lee Frost

(Microscopic)

A speck that would have been beneath my sight
On any but a paper sheet so white
Set off across what I had written there.
And I had idly poised my pen in air
To stop it with a period of ink
When something strange about it made me think,
This was no dust speck by my breathing blown,
But unmistakably a living mite
With inclinations it could call its own.
It paused as with suspicion of my pen,
And then came racing wildly on again
To where my manuscript was not yet dry;
Then paused again and either drank or smelt–
With loathing, for again it turned to fly.
Plainly with an intelligence I dealt.
It seemed too tiny to have room for feet,
Yet must have had a set of them complete
To express how much it didn’t want to die.
It ran with terror and with cunning crept.
It faltered: I could see it hesitate;
Then in the middle of the open sheet
Cower down in desperation to accept
Whatever I accorded it of fate.
I have none of the tenderer-than-thou
Collectivistic regimenting love
With which the modern world is being swept.
But this poor microscopic item now!
Since it was nothing I knew evil of
I let it lie there till I hope it slept.

I have a mind myself and recognize
Mind when I meet with it in any guise
No one can know how glad I am to find
On any sheet the least display of mind.

            The poem “A Considerable Speck” was written by Robert Frost after he was presumably enlightened by a miniscule organism. Frost is the authorial speaker in this three stanza poem which is written in free verse, with periodic rhyming patterns, and is straightforward with literal language and versification. At first, the site of the mite seems to be insignificant; however, as the poem progresses, the speck, as symbol of something more significant than the organism itself, merits considerable attention. The speaker is informing the reader about what exactly is his mind, and in his vision.

            In the first line of the poem, Frost recognizes the “speck” only because the paper on which he was writing was brilliantly white. The phrase “beneath my sight” has two obvious connotations: first, the speck was located beneath his actual vision; and secondly, he normally would not have noticed something this infinitesimal. Frost had been writing something different when he noticed the speck. The speck ran across what he had written, and at this point Frost recognized that this was not merely a speck of dust, but instead, it was an actual living organism. Frost, seemingly bewildered and annoyed with the speck, idly poised” his pen, and observed the organism scurry about his paper as he contemplated “stop[ing]” it with a “period of ink.” The period emphasizes just how small this little speck is. The enjambment in the poem is appropriately placed to show the actions of the speck and the thoughts of Frost. The speck, comprised of volition, had “inclinations all its own,” and for this reason it “made [Frost] think.” It seems that the moment that Frost became cognizant of the speck, the speck became conscious of Frost’s presence. Perhaps, the speck recognized the incongruity of the idle pen, and for that reason became scared and suspicious of its surroundings. Frost witnesses the speck scurry full speed in the direction of the wet ink. It seems more logical that the speck has no idea where it is going, and when it comes into contact with the wet ink—it doesn’t drink or smell it, rather it was stuck. Frost personifies the speck giving it the ability to abhor the smell of the wet ink. Frost describes the speck as plain and intelligent because he has come to admire the speck. His observations seem to make him understand the actions and thoughts of the speck, when in actuality the speck does not have any thoughts or emotions at all. The speck was quickly escaping from the wet ink, and heading for the edge of the paper. The abrupt motion way from the ink indicates to Frost that the speck is terrified. Frost presumes that the speck feels threatened and is consequently running for its life. The liveliness of the bug and the will for life impresses Frost. The speck hesitated somewhere on the comparatively vast paper, and “cower[ed] down in desperation to accept whatever [Frost] accorded it of fate.” At that moment, Frost was the omnipotent being from the perspective of the bug. He could annihilate the helpless being with slightest touch of an index finger. Although the poem does not contain explicit imagery such as colors or surrounding objects, a mental image of the situation and of the speck are brilliantly painted for the reader. The reader not only has a firm grasp on the environment of the poem, but also, the reader can empathize with Frost’s emotions and observations. Frost was probably disappointed when the speck “cowers” down, a word that implies ignoble fear. The speck had been so zestful and vivacious and then it just keeled over. Regardless, Frost continued to observe. As if to speak to the sleeping speck, Frost utilizes apostrophe to reassure the speck that he is not interested in killing it, unlike everyone else. He refers to the world as “modern,” which indicates that he feels older and disconnected from modern society. He abruptly refocuses his thoughts to the “microscopic item,”—now objectifying the organism that he had personified earlier. He decides to pardon the organism and relinquish his chance to kill it. He justifies himself by noting that “it was nothing [he] knew evil of.” He felt bad and he let the poor little “microscopic item” sleep.

The first two thirds of the poem is all an intriguing observation, but hardly anything more. The final stanza provides a denouement to draw meaning to Frost’s experience. He ironically concludes that he “[had] a mind himself,” as we didn’t know, and as if the speck had a mind. He makes an overstatement and says that “no one can know how glad I am to find on any sheet the least display of mind.” Frost’s short, focused glimpse into atomically small life. The experiences makes Frost examine his role as a microcosm in his own universe, and as a macrocosm in the universe of the microbial. He is clearly satisfied with this epiphany-like experience. Frost will continue living and evolving just as the speck, now more mindful of his surroundings and function in this life. The parallel beings will coexist, and maybe the “suspicious” speck won’t be so scared next time the pen is “idly poised.”