Question

Read the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” by Robert Frost.


Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Which line of the poem expresses the theme that youth passes quickly?


A. Nature's first green is gold


B. But only so an hour


C. Then leaf subsides to leaf


D. So Eden sank to grief

Answer 1

I'm pretty sure its a

Answer 2

Answer: I would contend that the right answer is the B) But only so an hour.

Explanation: Just to elaborate a little on the answer, it can be added that this explicit reference to time is, I believe, the one that suggests that youth passes quickly. That early spring leaf is a flower, but it only remains a flower for an hour. Spring has traditionally been associated with youth and life, so it is possible to relate the emergence of that fresh, yet fleeting, flower with the young years of a person's life.