Jan. 29, 1963 - President Kennedy said today the death of Robert Frost “leaves a vacancy in the American spirit.” In a statement, the President described Frost as “the great American poet of our time.” He added: “His art and his life summed up the essential qualities of the New England he loved so much: the fresh delight in nature, the plainness of speech, the canny wisdom, and the deep, underlying insight into the human soul. His death impoverishes us all, but he has bequeathed his nation a body of imperishable verse from which Americans will forever gain joy and understanding. He had promises to keep and miles to go, and now he sleeps.” The concluding sentence of Mr. Kennedy’s statement was a paraphrase of Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” In that poem, Frost said: “But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”
