The summary:
The heart of the tree is a poem written by Henry Bunner, an American writer.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For song and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard—
The treble of heaven’s harmony—
These things he plants who plants a tree.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again
He plants the glory of the plain;
He plants the forest’s heritage;
The harvest of a coming age;
The joy that unborn eyes shall see—
These things he plants who plants a tree.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good—
His blessings on the neighbourhood,
Who in the hollow of His hand
Holds all the growth of all our land—
A nation’s growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.
The poet appreciates a person who plants a tree and through this appreciation he enumerates the benefits of planting a tree.
some of the benefits he lists are:
Trees give shade from the sun
THey are a home to birds
Trees give oxygen
trees have the potential to turn into green forests that will be a joy for coming generations.
The poem is very appropriate to our times where we are expanding our cities, cutting down trees and encroaching into the forest for the lust of urbanization.
Read the full stanza first.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For song and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard—
The treble of heaven’s harmony—
These things he plants who plants a tree.
the poet starts by asking the question
What does he plant who plants a tree?
Then starts answering his own question.
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
the trees usually grow upwards towards the sun and the sun is such an important part of a trees life. Also probably talking about photosynthesis here and making oxygen in the process.
he may also imply that the hot and scorching sun and the wind that can harm humans and animals become more friendly because of the trees. The trees give shade and hold the soil together.
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The poet describes the tree as a flag that flutters in the breeze. He is probably talking about trees swaying in the breeze or the leaves of the tree trembling in the wind. The trunk of the tree is the pole of the flag.
The shaft of beauty towering high;
Here he mentions the trunk by name. Towering high means tall majestic trees.
He plants a home to heaven anigh
Anigh means near.
He further describes the tree as a home near the heaven. Heaven is often used as another word for sky.
For song and mother-croon of bird
Croon means sing softly.
He builds this home for the mother bird that sings for everybody especially its children.
In hushed and happy twilight heard—
Hushed means softly and twilight means the light during sunset.
this means that during evening time when most sounds fade and you hear the happy sounds of animals, birds and insects
This way he lists what planting a tree means.
If you look at the stanza as a whole. Then you realize that the poet is enumerating the qualities of a tree.
He says the tree is a friend of the sun and sky.
It is like a flag fluttering in the breeze.
A flag that almost touches the sky.
A towering beauty, that is like a home near heaven.
Because like heaven it has music in it.
The music is of birds who make their nest in the tree.
and sing during the evening time when all creatures are returning to their homes.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
So the poet starts with the question again.
Maybe he wants to enumerate more qualities of the tree and list the benefits of planting a tree
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
The tree provides shade and from the sun and rain
It is interesting to note that in the second line of the first stanza the poet talks about sun and sky and here he talks about shade and rain. Shade has to be provided from the sun and rain is usually in poetic language said to fall from the skies.
And seed and bud of days to be,
as the tree grows older it bears fruit that provide seeds for new trees. And bud means new and small flowers that will helps grow more fruit through polination
And years that fade and flush again
the tree will stand the test of time and witness years that have changing seasons that will have times of rain and spring when the gardens and forests are flush with greenery and plants and summer and autumn when the plants will have little or no leaves and the fields will turn brown.
He plants the glory of the plain;
The tree is the glory of any field or plain. It has many uses in a plain one of them being holding the soil together to avoid soil erosion
He plants the forest’s heritage;
One tree has the potential to turn the area into a forest. Heritage means something that is handed down generations or that belongs to someone particular. Here the tree is owned by the forest. It belongs in the forest.
The harvest of a coming age;
As the tree will grow older and stronger it will bear fruit that future generations will be able to enjoy.
The joy that unborn eyes shall see—
There are many yet to be born and they shall be overjoyed to find a tree that is an important part of the ecosystem that thrives to keep nature alive. This line also means the future generations will enjoy the fruits of the tree.
These things he plants who plants a tree.
The stanza is looked upon as a whole suggests that the tree will stand the test of time. It will become a forest in the years to come. It will bear many fruits in the coming and going of the seasons every year. In the process it will also witness many generations of other creatures including humans, birds, animals and other plants be born. grow and die. For them it will be a thing of beauty and benefit.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good—
His blessings on the neighbourhood,
Who in the hollow of His hand
Holds all the growth of all our land—
A nation’s growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
The poet once again asks the question, so that he can further elaborate the benefits of planting a tree.
He plants in sap and leaf and wood,
Sap leaf and wood are all parts of the tree. So in a way the person who plants a tree is planting all of these each of which are useful to man
In love of home and loyalty
home here could be mother earth that is home to all living creatures we know. It could also mean the home that we live in, our locality or area or country where we reside. And planting a tree is definitely going to help all the mentioned places showing the loyalty of the person.
And far-cast thought of civic good—
Far cast should mean envisioning or thinking about the future generations and the good it will do to them
His blessings on the neighbourhood,
His blessings could mean the benefits of planting a tree such as clean air and beauty in the vicinity
Who in the hollow of His hand
It is the way we hold something small. In the palm of the hand.
Holds all the growth of all our land—
He holds one seed but it is something that can grow and benefit all the land.
A nation’s growth from sea to sea
A country too can benefit from planting of trees. Sea to sea may mean border to border. In other words the whole nation. In a larger perspective sea to sea can also mean coast to coast or all of the land regardless of political borders.
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.
Which means that any person who wants to plant trees has a kind heart that thinks of the well being of other humans.
The whole stanza could be seen as the vision of the man who plants the tree. He is planting something that will give products such as sap, wood and leaf which have different uses. The tree will give oxygen to the local population and when it multiplies into a forest it will give fruits and oxygen and other benefits to the whole nation and the earth.
brings the heaven near to earth?
heavens anigh - creates heaven nearby
answring of his own qquestion.
second stanza corresponds to the the first stanza? sun and sky - shade and rain
The heart of the tree is a poem written by Henry Bunner, an American writer.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For song and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard—
The treble of heaven’s harmony—
These things he plants who plants a tree.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again
He plants the glory of the plain;
He plants the forest’s heritage;
The harvest of a coming age;
The joy that unborn eyes shall see—
These things he plants who plants a tree.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good—
His blessings on the neighbourhood,
Who in the hollow of His hand
Holds all the growth of all our land—
A nation’s growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.
The poet appreciates a person who plants a tree and through this appreciation he enumerates the benefits of planting a tree.
some of the benefits he lists are:
Trees give shade from the sun
THey are a home to birds
Trees give oxygen
trees have the potential to turn into green forests that will be a joy for coming generations.
The poem is very appropriate to our times where we are expanding our cities, cutting down trees and encroaching into the forest for the lust of urbanization.
Read the full stanza first.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For song and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard—
The treble of heaven’s harmony—
These things he plants who plants a tree.
the poet starts by asking the question
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
the trees usually grow upwards towards the sun and the sun is such an important part of a trees life. Also probably talking about photosynthesis here and making oxygen in the process.
he may also imply that the hot and scorching sun and the wind that can harm humans and animals become more friendly because of the trees. The trees give shade and hold the soil together.
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The poet describes the tree as a flag that flutters in the breeze. He is probably talking about trees swaying in the breeze or the leaves of the tree trembling in the wind. The trunk of the tree is the pole of the flag.
The shaft of beauty towering high;
Here he mentions the trunk by name. Towering high means tall majestic trees.
He plants a home to heaven anigh
Anigh means near.
He further describes the tree as a home near the heaven. Heaven is often used as another word for sky.
For song and mother-croon of bird
Croon means sing softly.
He builds this home for the mother bird that sings for everybody especially its children.
In hushed and happy twilight heard—
Hushed means softly and twilight means the light during sunset.
this means that during evening time when most sounds fade and you hear the happy sounds of animals, birds and insects
The treble of heaven’s harmony—
Treble means high pitched sound
Harmony usually means everyone living together without fear.
It also means a combination of sounds to make one composition of music.
These things he plants who plants a tree.
If you look at the stanza as a whole. Then you realize that the poet is enumerating the qualities of a tree.
He says the tree is a friend of the sun and sky.
It is like a flag fluttering in the breeze.
A flag that almost touches the sky.
A towering beauty, that is like a home near heaven.
Because like heaven it has music in it.
The music is of birds who make their nest in the tree.
and sing during the evening time when all creatures are returning to their homes.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
So the poet starts with the question again.
Maybe he wants to enumerate more qualities of the tree and list the benefits of planting a tree
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
The tree provides shade and from the sun and rain
It is interesting to note that in the second line of the first stanza the poet talks about sun and sky and here he talks about shade and rain. Shade has to be provided from the sun and rain is usually in poetic language said to fall from the skies.
And seed and bud of days to be,
as the tree grows older it bears fruit that provide seeds for new trees. And bud means new and small flowers that will helps grow more fruit through polination
And years that fade and flush again
the tree will stand the test of time and witness years that have changing seasons that will have times of rain and spring when the gardens and forests are flush with greenery and plants and summer and autumn when the plants will have little or no leaves and the fields will turn brown.
He plants the glory of the plain;
The tree is the glory of any field or plain. It has many uses in a plain one of them being holding the soil together to avoid soil erosion
He plants the forest’s heritage;
One tree has the potential to turn the area into a forest. Heritage means something that is handed down generations or that belongs to someone particular. Here the tree is owned by the forest. It belongs in the forest.
The harvest of a coming age;
As the tree will grow older and stronger it will bear fruit that future generations will be able to enjoy.
The joy that unborn eyes shall see—
There are many yet to be born and they shall be overjoyed to find a tree that is an important part of the ecosystem that thrives to keep nature alive. This line also means the future generations will enjoy the fruits of the tree.
These things he plants who plants a tree.
The stanza is looked upon as a whole suggests that the tree will stand the test of time. It will become a forest in the years to come. It will bear many fruits in the coming and going of the seasons every year. In the process it will also witness many generations of other creatures including humans, birds, animals and other plants be born. grow and die. For them it will be a thing of beauty and benefit.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good—
His blessings on the neighbourhood,
Who in the hollow of His hand
Holds all the growth of all our land—
A nation’s growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
The poet once again asks the question, so that he can further elaborate the benefits of planting a tree.
He plants in sap and leaf and wood,
Sap leaf and wood are all parts of the tree. So in a way the person who plants a tree is planting all of these each of which are useful to man
In love of home and loyalty
home here could be mother earth that is home to all living creatures we know. It could also mean the home that we live in, our locality or area or country where we reside. And planting a tree is definitely going to help all the mentioned places showing the loyalty of the person.
And far-cast thought of civic good—
Far cast should mean envisioning or thinking about the future generations and the good it will do to them
His blessings on the neighbourhood,
His blessings could mean the benefits of planting a tree such as clean air and beauty in the vicinity
Who in the hollow of His hand
It is the way we hold something small. In the palm of the hand.
Holds all the growth of all our land—
He holds one seed but it is something that can grow and benefit all the land.
A nation’s growth from sea to sea
A country too can benefit from planting of trees. Sea to sea may mean border to border. In other words the whole nation. In a larger perspective sea to sea can also mean coast to coast or all of the land regardless of political borders.
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.
Which means that any person who wants to plant trees has a kind heart that thinks of the well being of other humans.
The whole stanza could be seen as the vision of the man who plants the tree. He is planting something that will give products such as sap, wood and leaf which have different uses. The tree will give oxygen to the local population and when it multiplies into a forest it will give fruits and oxygen and other benefits to the whole nation and the earth.
brings the heaven near to earth?
heavens anigh - creates heaven nearby
answring of his own qquestion.
second stanza corresponds to the the first stanza? sun and sky - shade and rain
