Poem: Heritage of Trees by David Horsburgh

 Poem: Heritage of Trees by David Horsburgh

 I saw a man  

Attack a tree today  

About twenty miles along it  

There you'll see a tragic sight.  

A line of noble trees  

Mutilated; branches ripped  

Untimely from their trunks,  

The trunks themselves  

Wounded, lacerated  

Some live attenuated  

Cripples; some  

Have died.

  

Their sides  

Browned by the sun  

Their scabs and scars  

Defy repair.  

Those noble trees  

Planted long since  

By some sweet hand,

Sher Shah or unknown,  

Or royal patronage.  

Let them come now from some  

More peaceful shade  

To look once more  

On their life’s work. 

Trees for the people?  

Let all enjoy them  

Hack them cut them up  

So that the fires  

That cook the village food  

Shall burn more hot.  

Trees are our heritage  

And ash so holy.  

Poem: Heritage of Trees by David Horsburgh

Stanza 1

 I saw a man

Attack a tree today

About twenty miles along it

There you'll see a tragic sight.

A line of noble trees

Mutilated; branches ripped

Untimely from their trunks,

The trunks themselves

Wounded, lacerated

Some live attenuated

Cripples; some

Have died.

Paraphrase:

 I saw a man damaging a tree today. About twenty miles from here, you can

witness a very sad scene. There is a row of beautiful trees whose branches 

have been brutally damaged and torn off violently before their time. Even

their trunks are badly injured and cut off. Some trees are still alive but 

have become weak and damaged, while others have died. 

Stanza 2

Their sides

Browned by the sun

Their scabs and scars

Defy repair.

Those noble trees

Planted long since

By some sweet hand,

Sher Shah or unknown,

Or royal patronage.

Let them come now from some

More peaceful shade

To look once more

On their life's work.

Paraphrase:

The sides of the trees have turned brown because of the hot sun. Their 

wounds and scars cannot be healed. These noble trees were planted long

ago by kind people, perhaps by Sher Shah Suri or someone unknown, 

or with the support of a king. The poet wishes that those who planted 

these trees could return from a peaceful place and see what has 

happened to the trees they once cared for. 

Stanza 3

 Trees for the people?

Let all enjoy them

Hack them cut them up

So that the fires

That cook the village food

Shall burn more hot.

Trees are our heritage

And ash so holy.

Paraphrase:

The poet questions the idea that trees exist only to be cut down and used

as firewood. He criticizes people for destroying them just to make 

cooking fires burn more strongly. He reminds us that trees are a 

valuable part of our heritage, and reducing them to ashes is a great loss.

Summary

The poem describes how people carelessly damage and cut down

 trees. The poet feels sad because these trees were planted long 

ago by kind people and are an important part of our heritage. He 

reminds us that we should protect and value trees instead of 

destroying them.

Theme

The poem highlights the harmful effects of destroying trees and

 stresses the importance of protecting nature. It teaches us to

 respect trees because they are a valuable part of our heritage 

and are essential for life.

Central Idea

Trees are a valuable gift from the past. We should respect, 

preserve, and protect them instead of destroying them.

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