THE great Vine left its glory to reign as Forest King. 'Nay,' quoth the lofty forest trees, 'we will not have this thing; We will not have this supple one enring us with its ring. Lo from immemorial time our might towers shadowing: Not we were born to curve and droop, not we to climb and cling: We buffet back the buffeting wind, tough to its buffeting: We screen great beasts, the wild fowl build in our heads and sing, Every bird of every feather from off our tops takes wing: I a king, and thou a king, and what king shall be our king?' Nevertheless the great Vine stooped to be the Forest King, While the forest swayed and murmured like seas that are tempesting: Stooped and drooped with thousand tendrils in thirsty languishing; Bowed to earth and lay on earth for earth's replenishing; Put off sweetness, tasted bitterness, endured time's fashioning; Put off life and put on death: -- and lo it was all to bring All its fellows down to a death which hath lost the sting, All its fellows up to a life in endless triumphing, -- I a king, and thou a king, and this King to be our King. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO A MOTH SEEN IN WINTER by ROBERT FROST HIGH PLAINS RAG by JAMES GALVIN TO EMILIE BIGELOW HAPGOOD - PHILANTHROPIST by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON OCTAVES: 2 by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON NO PLATONIQUE LOVE by WILLIAM CARTWRIGHT |