THE great Vine left its glory to reign as Forest King. 'Nay,' quoth the lofty forest trees, 'we will not have this thing; We will not have this supple one enring us with its ring. Lo from immemorial time our might towers shadowing: Not we were born to curve and droop, not we to climb and cling: We buffet back the buffeting wind, tough to its buffeting: We screen great beasts, the wild fowl build in our heads and sing, Every bird of every feather from off our tops takes wing: I a king, and thou a king, and what king shall be our king?' Nevertheless the great Vine stooped to be the Forest King, While the forest swayed and murmured like seas that are tempesting: Stooped and drooped with thousand tendrils in thirsty languishing; Bowed to earth and lay on earth for earth's replenishing; Put off sweetness, tasted bitterness, endured time's fashioning; Put off life and put on death: -- and lo it was all to bring All its fellows down to a death which hath lost the sting, All its fellows up to a life in endless triumphing, -- I a king, and thou a king, and this King to be our King. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CAMPUS SONNET: TALK by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET THE WAY OF THE CONVENTICLE OF THE TREES by HAYDEN CARRUTH TO KNOW IN REVERIE THE ONLY PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE ABSOLUTE by HAYDEN CARRUTH COMPANIONS by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON TO ATLANTA UNIVERSITY - ITS FOUNDERS AND TEACHERS by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: JOHN WASSON by EDGAR LEE MASTERS |