Line 1:

In this opening stanza, the setting is clarified as a winter evening in a rural environment. The speaker desires to watch snowfall quietly in some woods. While these woods belong to someone, that person is not present and so will not protest if the speaker trespasses.

Lines 5-8:

The speaker emphasizes that he has no practical reason to stop, that he is stopping for the beauty of the scene only. However, in line 8, an element of darkness appears, which can indicate that all is not well. Because the speaker also emphasizes the cold with "frozen lake," readers begin to understand that the poem may not be a simple lighthearted celebration of nature.

Lines 9-12:

Although this stanza begins with an auditory image, the shaking of the harness bells, the greater emphasis of the stanza is on silence. Although the speaker can hear the "easy wind," such a...