 “Trees” Summary

o I don't think I'll ever read a poem that's as beautiful and perfect as a tree.
Thirsty trees drink from the earth's delicious soil like a baby drinks from its mother's
breast.
Trees look up to the heavens all day, their leafy branches seemingly raised in prayer.
In the summer, trees play host to nests of robins, which sit like crowns atop the trees'
leaves.
Snow falls on trees' breasts, and trees have a close, nurturing relationship with the rain.
Fools like me might try to write poetry, but our work will never match the glory of
something created by God.
THEME

"Trees" celebrates the majesty of nature, insisting that no art that humankind makes can match even the
simple beauty of a tree. The poem can thus be read as a hymn of praise to God’s creation, celebrating
both the wonder of the natural world and its maker.

The speaker talks plainly of poetry’s inability to capture the true beauty of nature; no poem can be “lovely
as a tree,” the speaker says, before going on to describe precisely what makes trees so wonderful. For one
thing, the speaker presents the tree as an essential part of a peaceful, harmonious natural world. When the
tree needs nourishment, it simply drinks directly from “the earth’s sweet flowing breast.” In turn, the tree
itself becomes a home for birds, and has a close “intima[cy]” with snow and rain. The tree’s loveliness
thus comes in part from its interconnectedness with other parts of nature. In other words, the tree is part of
a perfectly balanced natural ecosystem. And this awe-inspiring majesty, the poem insists, could only be
the work of God.

The tree thus stands in testament to God’s power. To emphasize this, the speaker personifies the tree as
offering up its “arms” (a.k.a. branches) towards heaven in prayer. Life, in this image, seems to offer
thanks to God for its own existence. This is something that the speaker implies human art—which
however beautiful, will always be inanimate—can never do. Poems, it follows, simply can’t hope to
compete with such natural wonder and beauty. They are not the work of God, but rather of “fools”—
people who are crazy enough to try and mimic God through an act of creation, yet who will always come
up short.

The speaker includes themselves in this category, acknowledging the shortcomings of this very poem!
That said, this is still a poem, a piece of art that the speaker felt compelled to write despite its inevitable
failure to match God’s creation. This suggests that though human art cannot meet God’s unparalleled
standards, it still has a role to play. Namely, the poem suggests that art is valuable because it is a way of
appreciating and praising the divine wonder of the world. This poem itself provides a way for other
people to reflect on the majesty of God’s creation, drawing the reader’s attention to the way trees express
and embody God’s will.

Stanza-wise summary of the poem Trees

In the first stanza of the poem Trees, the speaker says that he thinks he shall never see a poem
as lovely as a tree.

In the next stanza the speaker says that since the tree is deeply rooted to the soil, it looks as if
its hungry mouth is pressed (prest) against the earth’s sweet flowing breast.
In the next stanza, he describes the nature of the tree that looks at God all day, lifting her leafy
arms to Him in prayer.

In the fourth stanza he says that in summer, the tree usually has robins nesting in her branches
(a nest of robins in her hair).
In the following stanza, the speaker refers to the change in the seasons since during winter the
tree is covered with snow, and during the rains, the tree seems to be living in harmony with the
downpour (intimately lives with rain).

In the last stanza of the poem, the speaker concludes that ‘poems’ are written by fools like him
but only God can make something as poetic as a tree.

Themes in the poem Trees

Central Theme of the poem Trees
The main theme of the poem Trees is the poet’s love and respect for nature. The poet has
chosen ‘trees’, one of the most important creatures in mother nature to explain very beautifully
how all other man-made creations pale in comparison to God’s. The poem is like an ode to a
tree since the poet glorifies the beauty and generous nature of the tree.

Another theme in the poem Trees is spirituality. The poet clearly shows his inclination to
divine/higher power. The last two lines of the poem are significant since the speaker belittles his
own ability as a poet and gives all the credit to God. He says “Poems are made by fools like
me”.

This implies that poets, writers, or other artists who are proud of their creations, should be
ashamed because their work can never match God’s marvelous creations, in this case, it is a
tree. Thus, the poem could also be a hymn of praise to God.

The poem also portrays the loving and caring nature of mothers. In the poet’s eyes, the tree has
a motherly nature. The tree is deeply attached to mother earth, is pious because she lifts up her
branches in prayer to God all day, loves to decorate herself with the robins nesting in her leaves
(her hair), and lives along with rain, presumably her spouse. By giving shelter to birds and
animals she is like a mother looking after her children.

Line-by-line interpretation of the poem Trees

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.
At the beginning of the poem Trees, the poet makes it clear that he is fascinated with nature. He
is quite sure that he will never see a poem as lovely as a tree. He says ‘I think’ which means
that in his opinion a tree is the loveliest poem.

The poet uses a simile to compare a ‘poem’ to a tree because a tree represents one of the
finest forms of natural art as opposed to man-made art. He is so wonderstruck by the tree’s
beauty and grace that a tree shall always be a classic example of the perfect poem in his mind.
Here the poet is talking about trees in general and not a specific tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

The poet personifies the tree in these two lines by comparing the tree to an infant being nursed
by its mother. He uses the words ‘hungry mouth’ to imply that the tree is deeply rooted to the
ground, thus always needing nourishment.

The line ‘Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast’ refers to the water stored under the earth’s
surface which plants and necessary for their growth absorb. Hence, he gives the image of a tree
that is attached to the earth as firmly as a baby is attached to its mother while being breastfed.
From the fourth line onwards, the poet seems to be referring to a particular tree.

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

The poet reveals his devotion to God by saying that the tree also prays to Him. He personifies
the tree as a pious woman who is lifting up her arms in prayer.

Since the tree is always growing taller and stretching towards the sky, the poet says it ‘looks at
God all day’ and calls the tree’s branches ‘leafy arms’. The poet conveys that even other living
beings are aware of God’s presence and want to connect with Him.

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

During the summer season, the tree provides shelter, especially to birds and animals. It is also
the time when robins build a nest on the tree’s branches and hatch their young.

The poet refers to this instance when he says ‘A nest of robins in her hair’. He gives the tree a
feminine quality because women usually love to decorate their hair with accessories. Here, ‘hair’
refers to the tree’s leaves.

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

The poet says that during winter, the tree is fully covered with snow. He probably uses the word
‘bosom’ to refer to the tree’s warmth and security. He also says the tree lives ‘intimately’ with
rain.

The rains provide plants and trees with plenty of water, which not only nurtures them but is also
essential for their survival. Thus, the poet shows how various elements of nature are
interdependent and live harmoniously with each other.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

At the end of the poem Trees, the poet comes to a conclusion. He is captivated by nature to
such an extent that he is convinced poems are made by ‘fools’ like him since only God can
make a tree.

‘Fool’ is a harsh word to describe a poet as talented as himself. By degrading his own abilities
and giving God credit that is His due, the poet is acknowledging that God is the ultimate creator.

At the beginning of the poem, the poet referred to the tree as the loveliest poem. Hence, by the
end, he is convinced that his poems are unworthy of praise compared to the beautiful poems
(creations) of God.

Analysis of the poem Trees

The poem Trees by Joyce Kilmer is rich in imagery. The poet also uses personification to give
a vivid description of the tree. He uses this method to emphasize his opinion on spirituality. It is
a simple poem with simple ideas.

Two of the main ideas that are clear from this poem are the poet’s love for mother nature and
God. He gives the tree a feminine form by alluding to her beauty and selfless nature. He also
seems to be very devout and appeals to his readers’ religious sentiments.

The poet thinks a tree is the loveliest ‘poem’ because a ‘poem’ is a work of art that appeals to
the senses and emotions of its readers. From the first two lines, the poet makes it apparent that
he is in awe of nature.

He regards all living beings and their maker with reverence. Towards the poem’s end, he calls
himself a ‘fool’. By doing so he admits that man-made poems are not as praiseworthy as God’s
creations. He insists that no matter how hard human beings try, they can never bring life to their
work as God does.

He also conveys that as much as the tree is connected to the earth, she still keeps her
connection with God, always reaching out her ‘arms’ in prayer. She brings perfect balance to
the natural ecosystem along with the change in the seasons.

Though the poet looks down upon man-made works of art, including his own poems, he still
writes a poem praising and marveling at God’s creations. This suggests that through his poem
he wants his readers to appreciate and reflect on the natural wonders of the world and connect
with their creator.

His simple choice of words makes it easy for people to understand his message and apply it to
their lives. By writing in a traditional poetic style, he has captured his reader’s attention as well
as their sentiments.