Lyric Poem · Life
Fire and Ice
by Robert Frost · 1920
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great,
And would suffice.
Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.
“Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost — quilloak.com/poems/fire-and-ice
Quick facts
- Poem
- Fire and Ice
- Poet
- Robert Frost
- Published
- 1920
- Length
- 9 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem, Short Poems
- Themes
- Life, Short
Craft notes
How this poem works
Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.
- Shape
- 9 lines · one 9-line stanza
- End rhyme
- ABAABCBCD.
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Text, source & rights
A traceable edition
Full-text display is based on the cited edition and a United States term-expiry review.
- Author record
- Robert Frost1874–1963
- Source record
- WikisourceFire and Ice by robert-frost, Wikisource transcription
- Display decision
- Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
- Publication record
- 1920
- Text fingerprint
- SHA-256 25e5a4fd33a94bd2…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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