“To the Wayfarer-
Ye who pass by and would raise your hand against me
Harken ere you harm me!
I am the heat of your hearth on cold winter nights,
The friendly shade screening you from the summer sun
My fruits are refreshing draughts,
Quenching your thirst as you journey on,
I am the beam that holds your house,
The board of your table,
The bed on which you lie,
And the timber that builds your boat,
I am the handle of your hoe,
The door of your homestead,
The wood of your cradle,
And the shell of your coffin.
I am the bread of kindness and the flower of beauty.
Ye who pass by, listen to my prayer; harm me not.”
A notice originally found nailed to a tree in Seville, Spain and found by me reprinted at the local arboretum.
What a wonderful evocative poem speaking the truth of what trees are for all of us–humans, and other animals.
The bed on which you lie,
Not my bed. Mine’s all metal and cloth.
It is a good poem, though.
Ahhhhh. Every word is true and meaningful. Love it.
Sage advice at so many levels.
Well…many of those values a tree represents requires that the tree be sacrificed. Like some hunters who offer a prayer of thanks to the game they kill, I wonder if there are loggers who whisper gratitude to a tree as they fell it.
That’s an awfully feisty tree.
I *love* this poem Laura.
Lovely, Laura. Thank you!
How is your training going?
The poem touches me.
So touching.
My favorite prayer definitely!
I have a tree with the same poem on. I found the poem in the teachers office at the school I work.
The whole story (in both Norwegian and English)
http://www.hjertevarme.org