"The Tuft of Flowers" appeared in American poet Robert Frost's first collection, A Boy's Will, in 1913. While many of the poems in this highly autobiographical collection describe a desire to remain somewhat separate from society, "The Tuft of Flowers" expresses a deep longing to connect with other people. The poem's speaker is a lonely field hand who stumbles upon a patch of flowers that his fellow worker, a "mower," has left untouched. The speaker feels a sense of kinship and camaraderie with his unseen coworker in this moment that cuts through his isolation. In this way, the poem explores how a shared appreciation for nature can bring people together, even if only in spirit.
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The Full Text of “The Tuft of Flowers”
1I went to turn the grass once after one
2Who mowed it in the dew before the sun.
3The dew was gone that made his blade so keen
4Before I came to view the levelled scene.
5I looked for him behind an isle of trees;
6I listened for his whetstone on the breeze.
7But he had gone his way, the grass all mown,
8And I must be, as he had been,—alone,
9‘As all must be,’ I said within my heart,
10‘Whether they work together or apart.’
11But as I said it, swift there passed me by
12On noiseless wing a ’wildered butterfly,
13Seeking with memories grown dim o’er night
14Some resting flower of yesterday’s delight.
15And once I marked his flight go round and round,
16As where some flower lay withering on the ground.
17And then he flew as far as eye could see,
18And then on tremulous wing came back to me.
19I thought of questions that have no reply,
20And would have turned to toss the grass to dry;
21But he turned first, and led my eye to look
22At a tall tuft of flowers beside a brook,
23A leaping tongue of bloom the scythe had spared
24Beside a reedy brook the scythe had bared.
25I left my place to know them by their name,
26Finding them butterfly weed when I came.
27The mower in the dew had loved them thus,
28By leaving them to flourish, not for us,
29Nor yet to draw one thought of ours to him.
30But from sheer morning gladness at the brim.
31The butterfly and I had lit upon,
32Nevertheless, a message from the dawn,
33That made me hear the wakening birds around,
34And hear his long scythe whispering to the ground,
35And feel a spirit kindred to my own;
36So that henceforth I worked no more alone;
37But glad with him, I worked as with his aid,
38And weary, sought at noon with him the shade;
39And dreaming, as it were, held brotherly speech
40With one whose thought I had not hoped to reach.
41‘Men work together.’ I told him from the heart,
42‘Whether they work together or apart.’
The Full Text of “The Tuft of Flowers”
1I went to turn the grass once after one
2Who mowed it in the dew before the sun.
3The dew was gone that made his blade so keen
4Before I came to view the levelled scene.
5I looked for him behind an isle of trees;
6I listened for his whetstone on the breeze.
7But he had gone his way, the grass all mown,
8And I must be, as he had been,—alone,
9‘As all must be,’ I said within my heart,
10‘Whether they work together or apart.’
11But as I said it, swift there passed me by
12On noiseless wing a ’wildered butterfly,
13Seeking with memories grown dim o’er night
14Some resting flower of yesterday’s delight.
15And once I marked his flight go round and round,
16As where some flower lay withering on the ground.
17And then he flew as far as eye could see,
18And then on tremulous wing came back to me.
19I thought of questions that have no reply,
20And would have turned to toss the grass to dry;
21But he turned first, and led my eye to look
22At a tall tuft of flowers beside a brook,
23A leaping tongue of bloom the scythe had spared
24Beside a reedy brook the scythe had bared.
25I left my place to know them by their name,
26Finding them butterfly weed when I came.
27The mower in the dew had loved them thus,
28By leaving them to flourish, not for us,
29Nor yet to draw one thought of ours to him.
30But from sheer morning gladness at the brim.
31The butterfly and I had lit upon,
32Nevertheless, a message from the dawn,
33That made me hear the wakening birds around,
34And hear his long scythe whispering to the ground,
35And feel a spirit kindred to my own;
36So that henceforth I worked no more alone;
37But glad with him, I worked as with his aid,
38And weary, sought at noon with him the shade;
39And dreaming, as it were, held brotherly speech
40With one whose thought I had not hoped to reach.
41‘Men work together.’ I told him from the heart,
42‘Whether they work together or apart.’
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“The Tuft of Flowers” Summary
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“The Tuft of Flowers” Themes
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Isolation and Connection
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Nature and Humanity
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Tuft of Flowers”
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Lines 1-4
I went to turn the grass once after one
Who mowed it in the dew before the sun.
The dew was gone that made his blade so keen
Before I came to view the levelled scene. -
Lines 5-10
I looked for him behind an isle of trees;
I listened for his whetstone on the breeze.
But he had gone his way, the grass all mown,
And I must be, as he had been,—alone,
‘As all must be,’ I said within my heart,
‘Whether they work together or apart.’ -
Lines 11-14
But as I said it, swift there passed me by
On noiseless wing a ’wildered butterfly,
Seeking with memories grown dim o’er night
Some resting flower of yesterday’s delight. -
Lines 15-18
And once I marked his flight go round and round,
As where some flower lay withering on the ground.
And then he flew as far as eye could see,
And then on tremulous wing came back to me. -
Lines 19-22
I thought of questions that have no reply,
And would have turned to toss the grass to dry;
But he turned first, and led my eye to look
At a tall tuft of flowers beside a brook, -
Lines 23-26
A leaping tongue of bloom the scythe had spared
Beside a reedy brook the scythe had bared.
I left my place to know them by their name,
Finding them butterfly weed when I came. -
Lines 27-30
The mower in the dew had loved them thus,
By leaving them to flourish, not for us,
Nor yet to draw one thought of ours to him.
But from sheer morning gladness at the brim. -
Lines 31-34
The butterfly and I had lit upon,
Nevertheless, a message from the dawn,
That made me hear the wakening birds around,
And hear his long scythe whispering to the ground, -
Lines 35-40
And feel a spirit kindred to my own;
So that henceforth I worked no more alone;
But glad with him, I worked as with his aid,
And weary, sought at noon with him the shade;
And dreaming, as it were, held brotherly speech
With one whose thought I had not hoped to reach. -
Lines 41-42
‘Men work together.’ I told him from the heart,
‘Whether they work together or apart.’
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“The Tuft of Flowers” Symbols
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The Butterfly
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The Tuft of Flowers
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“The Tuft of Flowers” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Metaphor
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Imagery
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Enjambment
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Aphorism
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Consonance
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Alliteration
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Assonance
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Parallelism
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Anaphora
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Personification
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“The Tuft of Flowers” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Isle
- Whetstone
- 'Wildered
- O'er
- Tremulous
- Tuft
- Scythe
- Kindred
- Henceforth
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Tuft of Flowers”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Tuft of Flowers” Speaker
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“The Tuft of Flowers” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Tuft of Flowers”
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More “The Tuft of Flowers” Resources
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External Resources
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A Reading of the Poem — Hear the poem read aloud by the poet himself.
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Frost's Life and Work — Check out a biography of Frost and read more of his famous poems via the Poetry Foundation.
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The Scythe — A video showing what mowing the grass looked like before lawnmowers were invented!
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Interview with the Poet — Robert Frost interviewed by Richard Poirier for the Paris Review's Art of Poetry series.
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Making Hay — Learn more about the process of making hay—from mowing to turnin
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Robert Frost
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