Salute to the Trees (of Skies and Seasons)

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.