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One in a MillionThe poet, Robert Frost, compares "The Silken Tent" to a younger lady who is warm, gentle, and stationary, yet seems free. This unknown lady and the silken tent are very similar. The poet describes her as being a silky smooth tent, "at midday," which is her midlife. "A sunny summer breeze" indicates that seeing her is like a breath of fresh air on a warm summer day. The dried ropes of the tent indicate the lady's long-standing ties with the world around her, which are ties of "love and thought." She seems as if she loves the world and would almost anything to help someone. "So that in guys it gently sways at ease" points out that she is firmly fixed amid her obligations, but that she may not seem "tied" down. This young lady has "sureness of the soul," similar to the "central cedar pole" of the tent. She is strong and determined to reach her most valuable goal; that is, she is "pinnacle to heavenward." She has her nobility, or virtue. The poet describes this lady as being almost perfect. She "seems to owe naught to any single" man, woman, or child; but she has freely chosen and handled her responsibilities easily. A silken tent is strong, durable, and of high quality, as are her "countless silken ties." This lady is very similar to a "silken tent" sitting in a field in the summertime. She is calm and refreshing, yet sturdy and sure. She holds up to her obligations smoothly and cleverly. There is no doubt about it; this lady is one in a million.
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