Many a tree is found in the wood And every tree for its use is good: Some for the strength of the gnarled root, Some for the sweetness of flower or fruit; Some for shelter against the storm, And some to keep the hearth-stone warm; Some for the roof, and some for the beam, And some for a boat to breast the stream; -- In the wealth of the wood since the world began The trees have offered their gifts to man. But the glory of trees is more than their gifts: 'Tis a beautiful wonder of life that lifts, From a wrinkled seed in an earth-bound clod, A column, an arch in the temple of God, A pillar of power, a dome of delight, A shrine of song, and a joy of sight! Their roots are the nurses of rivers in birth; Their leaves are alive with the breath of the earth; They shelter the dwellings of man; and they bend O'er his grave with the look of a loving friend. I have camped in the whispering forest of pines, I have slept in the shadow of olives and vines; In the knees of an oak, at the foot of a palm I have found good rest and slumber's balm. And now, when the morning gilds the boughs Of the vaulted elm at the door of my house, I open the window and make salute: "God bless thy branches and feed thy root! Thou has lived before, live after me, Thou ancient, friendly, faithful tree." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ULTIMA THULE: THE CHAMBER OVER THE GATE by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW MAUD MULLER by JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER EMBLEMS OF LOVE: 38. NO PERJURY IN LOVE by PHILIP AYRES LESBIA'S COMPLAINT AGAINST THYRISIS HIS INCONSTANCY; A SONNET by PHILIP AYRES POLYHYMNIA: FRAGMENTS by WILLIAM BASSE |