The speaker is travelling on his horse through the lonely woods. This time he stops there to enjoy the beauty of the snow-covered woods. He was assured that the owner of the woods won’t see him, as his house is in the village far from there. His little horse finds it strange to stop there between the woods and a frozen lake, without a farmhouse near. So he (the horse) gives his harness bells a shake to ask if there has been a mistake. The only other sounds in that tranquil evening were the sounds of the easy wind and the falling snow. The woods were dark and deep, and our speaker found it ‘lovely’. He wanted to stay there longer, but could not do so. He had promises to keep and a long way to go before sleep. So he goes away.