The Heart of the Tree by Henry Cuyler Bunner
The Heart of the Tree
By Henry Cuyler.
Henry Cuyler Bunner - 1855-1896
Henry Cuyler Bunner, (born Aug. 3, 1855, Oswego, N.Y., U.S.—died May 11, 1896, Nutley, N.J.), poet, novelist, and editor whose verse and fiction primarily depict the scenes and people of New York City.
Bunner published several novels, but these are considered inferior to his stories and sketches. As a playwright he is known chiefly for Tower of Babel (1883). Collections of his verse, which has been praised for its technical dexterity, playfulness, and smoothness of finish, include Airs from Arcady and Elsewhere (1884), Rowen (1892), and Poems (1896).
POEM
1st Stanza:
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.
2nd Stanza:
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.
3rd Stanza:
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 neighborhood,
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.
SO SAD THAT HUMANS ARE ALWAYS SELFISH!
The Heart of the Tree: A Commentary
The Heart of the Tree by the American poet and novelist Henry Cuyler Bunner is a fine piece of poetry with a simple theme and a simpler structure. The poem was originally published in 1912.
Planting a tree is always a great work for the mankind. But, the poet has found out new ways to look at the plants and plantation. In his poem The Heart of the Tree he glorifies the act further, shows how a tree helps life on earth and says that it has a direct connection to a nation’s growth.
All the three stanzas of the poem The Heart of the Tree starts with a refrain with the poet asking what the man actually plants who plants a tree. Then he chooses to reply it by himself and shows what a tree means to the humankind and to the nature, thus proving how great that man is.
The rhythm is amazing. The rhyme scheme is ABABBCCAA for each stanza. This is a deviation from the celebrated Spenserian stanza, a nine line stanza with the scheme ABABBCBCC. Though the language is simple, careful wordings makes the poem more expressive and obviously musical and attractive.
The Heart of the Tree Summary
In ShortThe poem begins with the poet asking, “What does he plant who plants a tree?”By asking that question Bunner suggests that a tree planter actually plants a lot more than just a tree.Then the poet goes on to answer this by himself listing all good things the tree brings to this planet.By planting a tree the man plays an important role not only in maintaining the holistic beauty of nature but also in making this world a better living place for the future generations. The man also contributes to the nation’s growth by planting a tree.The man who plants a tree has got a bigger heart — the heart of the tree.
EDITED BY Dr. ADITYA DADHICH.
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