Ivor Gurney - Trees
Channel: PoetryProse Project
Date: 2015-04-03

TREES 

(" You cannot think how ghastly these battle-fields 
Jook under a grey sky. Torn trees are the most 
terrible things I have ever seen. Absolute blight and 
curse is on the face of everything.") 

The dead land oppressed me ; 

I turned my thoughts away, 
And went where hill and meadow 

Are shadowless and gay. 

Where Coopers stands by Cranham, 
Where the hill-gashes white 

Show golden in the sunshine, 
Our sunshine — God's delight. 

Beauty my feet stayed at last 
Where green was most cool, 

Trees worthy of all worship 
I worshipped . . . then, O fool, 

Let my thoughts slide unwitting 
To other, dreadful trees, . . . 

And found me standing, staring 
Sick of heart — at these !