What does "The Edge of Doom" mean in Robert Frost's *Into My Own*?

Question

The following stanza is from Robert Frost's *Into My Own*: > One of my wishes is that those dark trees,  So old and firm they scarcely show the breeze,  Were not, as ’twere, the merest mask of gloom,  But stretched away unto the **edge of doom**. (Emphasis mine.) I am guessing that the "edge of doom" is referring to the end of time -- as in, The trees are stretching into the end of time and space. Is this reading correct? Where does the phrase the "edge of doom" come from? At first when I read it, I thought that the "edge of doom" was a dark reference (similar to "mask of gloom"), but it seems to be closer to a wedding vow, such as "Our marriage will last unto the edge of doom".

Answer 1

Robert Frost's poem "In my own" is about a young person's journey towards independence. "Those dark trees" represent the unpredictable and intimidating future of a young adult who is starting to find their own way in life. The "mask of gloom" describes how intimidating independence can be. However, in the first line Frost writes is "One of my wishes", indicating that he is hopeful. He hopes that the scary forest of trees that represent the future is not as grim as it looks. He hopes that this forest was not a mask of gloom, but rather stretched out for an indefinite time period - "the edge of doom".