Trees by Joyce Kilmer
I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast.
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain,
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
7 comments:
I believe this was one of the first true poems, other than the standard nursery rhymes, that I had to memorize and I hated it. I hated all forms of memorization and for the most part still do. Of course that was in the third grade I believe maybe the fourth that I had the unpleasant task of memorizing that poem not to mention the fact that I hated poetry.
It was not until the 10th grade that I gained a love of poetry. I had an English teach that made poetry come alive, yes even Beowulf and Shakespeare and MacBeth. Until her influence "out out damn spot" was a joke and I would say, what did the dog do to deserve to be cursed and ordered out. LOL.
Fortunately for me, she made it come alive and to this day my love for poetry has never subsided. I still do not memorize entire passages and could care less the exact date in time that it was written. Just the era will do IMO or in case of more recent poetry , the year if you please and forget the day and month. Same with much of history. The year is fine the rest is clutter and obscures the real meaning of the event.
That from a history major and Lit minor(almost a double major) who actually wound up with majors in psychology and social work plus history.
As a devotee of Thamus, I would disagree with you... ;)
Plato, "Phaedrus"
SOCRATES: At the Egyptian city of Naucratis, there was a famous old god, whose name was Theuth; the bird which is called the Ibis is sacred to him, and he was the inventor of many arts, such as arithmetic and calculation and geometry and astronomy and draughts and dice, but his great discovery was the use of letters. Now in those days the god Thamus was the king of the whole country of Egypt; and he dwelt in that great city of Upper Egypt which the Hellenes call Egyptian Thebes, and the god himself is called by them Ammon. To him came Theuth and showed his inventions, desiring that the other Egyptians might be allowed to have the benefit of them; he enumerated them, and Thamus enquired about their several uses, and praised some of them and censured others, as he approved or disapproved of them. It would take a long time to repeat all that Thamus said to Theuth in praise or blame of the various arts. But when they came to letters, This, said Theuth, will make the Egyptians wiser and give them better memories; it is a specific both for the memory and for the wit. Thamus replied: O most ingenious Theuth, the parent or inventor of an art is not always the best judge of the utility or inutility of his own inventions to the users of them. And in this instance, you who are the father of letters, from a paternal love of your own children have been led to attribute to them a quality which they cannot have; for this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves. The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth; they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality.
What can I say, I'm also a big fan of rhapsodes (like Ion). ;)
Ticker & Am - My I inject a word or two in between you two heavy thinkers?
Joyce Kilmer was yes, a poet, but also a very brave man who willingly gave his life in WWI.
So please, if you mention on my blog either Joyce Kilmer or Jackson Pollock - it must be with respect.
Tell you what, Sue. In deference to your blog, I will no longer state my honest opinions about either idol of yours.
But at MY blogs, I'll say whatever I think.
Ticker - Ok. My mistake.
Legion - The word IDOL came from you.
I am a true believer in the Ten Commandments - and the Ten
Commandments clearly prohibit idol worship.
I simply adore Jackson Pollock because we have two things
in common:
intense creativity
despondency
~~~
I simply respect Joyce Kilmer for two reasons:
as a poet
as a troop who willingly gave his life
~~~
Please, Speedy, do not leave me in my time of great need.
And you too, Ticker.
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