The Pool and the Tree
A lonely tree and a serene pool share an intimate, interdependent bond in a vast wilderness. The pool glistens under the tree’s shade, complimenting the tree’s beauty by reflecting its image, while the tree thrives from the pool’s nourishing presence. This unbroken companionship endures through the cycles of seasons, until human visitors disturb their harmony. Initially, two weary travellers rest beneath the tree, momentarily admiring its fallen leaves and blossoms before leaving without disturbing the natural order. Later, another group of men arrives with the intent to uproot the tree. Ignoring the tree’s desperate protests and the pool’s lament over the imminent loss, they dig around its roots and transport it away, severing the source of life upon which the pool depends. Stricken by grief and physical separation from its cherished friend, the pool laments its fate. Unable to move on its own, it seeks assistance from the natural world. A passing swallow advises consulting the all-seeing moon. The moon reveals that the tree, now relocated far away into an enclosed garden, is fading under human care despite its admired rarity. Though acknowledged for its uniqueness, the tree suffers from the absence of its life-giving partner. Determined to reunite, the pool implores the sun to help it transform. Responding, the sun bestows countless golden threads upon the pool, metamorphosing it into a delicate, soaring cloud. Elevated into the sky, the cloud embarks on a long and arduous journey driven by an unyielding desire to find the lost tree. Though tempted by the ephemeral joys of flight and the playful allure of other clouds, the cloud remains resolute. Guided by the west wind—with directions relayed from the north wind—the cloud is carried over vast distances until it arrives at a well-tended garden. In the center, encircled by protective railings, stands the tree: visibly weakened with drooping branches and prematurely falling buds. The cloud, overcome with longing, implores the wind to lower it so it can descend upon the tree. In a delicate, fateful descent, the cloud shatters into a gentle rainfall and seeps into the soil around the tree’s roots. The moisture and life of the transformed pool revitalize the tree. Although the tree now thrives amid public admiration in the cultivated garden—with its leaves bright and its form rejuvenated—the pool has become hidden beneath the earth. In secret, it continues to nourish the tree, sustaining the ancient bond that no human force can fully sever. The narrative explores themes of separation, transformation, and the enduring nature of true companionship. It portrays how natural forces—sun, wind, moon—and the cycle of metamorphosis allow a vital connection to survive even when severed and displaced. The tree’s outward beauty, admired by strangers, masks the hidden, sustaining spirit of the pool beneath, symbolizing that even lost parts may silently continue to provide life and strength.
By Mary de Morgan · First published 1915 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Allegory, Fantasy · 2,653 words
First lines
Once there was a tree standing in the middle of a vast wilderness, and beneath the shade of its branches was a little pool, over which they bent. The pool looked up at the tree and the tree looked down at the pool, and the two loved each other better than anything else on earth. And neither of them thought of anything else but each other, or cared who came and went in the world around them.
"But for you and the shade you give me I should have been dried up by the sun long ago," said the pool.
What this Textopian page supports
The Pool and the Tree is listed on Textopian as a short story by Mary de Morgan, dated 1915 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Mary de Morgan
- Date: 1915 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fairy Tale, Allegory, Fantasy, Fable, Children's Literature
- Length: 2,653 words
- Structure: 1 section, 40 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Pool and the Tree by Mary de Morgan
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Pool and the Tree?
- How does this short story by Mary de Morgan fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fairy Tale first become important in the reading?
Genres
- Fairy Tale — Features anthropomorphic elements, symbolic characters, and a narrative that imparts a moral lesson typical of traditional fairy tales.
- Allegory — Uses characters and events symbolically to represent deeper themes of loss, transformation, and renewal.
- Fantasy — Contains supernatural transformations and imaginative settings that transcend ordinary reality.
- Fable — Employs personified natural elements to illustrate moral and philosophical truths.
Tags
fairy tale · fantasy · allegory · magic · myth · children's literature · illustration · symbolism · subversion · morality · feminism · whimsy