Trees

Joyce Kilmer
Summary
Joyce Kilmer was a leading Catholic American Writer, poet, journalist,
lecturer and editor. He is known for his simple and sentimental style of writing about
natural world. Trees is Kilmer’s most famous poem written in his lucid and direct
style. In this poem, poet marvels at the beauty of a tree.

The first and second couplet begins with a simple, yet impactful statement
that he will “never see / A poem lovely as a tree.” He knows without a doubt, that
every tree on the planet is greater and more “lovely” than even the most beautiful
poem. In the next lines, he moves from a generalized image of all trees to one
specific type or kind.
In the third and fourth couplet, the speaker develops the character of this kind
of tree further. Due to its position on the planet, and its generally unchanging
structure, it is always facing God. It “looks at God all day.” This fact is to the tree’s
benefit. Its religiosity makes it at once more and less human. Here, the speaker refers
to the perennial plant as “her.” This is a direct connection to the larger symbol of
“Mother Earth”, a presiding female presence on the planet, or more clearly, the
planet itself, that is responsible for the growth and cultivation of life. She spends all
day looking to God, and lifting her arms to pray.
In the fifth and last couplet, the speaker continues to describe how the impact
of the seasons on the plant. The “tree” has become quite specific at this point. It has
moved from a generalized, all-encompassing symbol to a specific plant the speaker
can recall in detail. When winter comes, there will be “snow” on the “bosom” of the
tree. It will rest there gently, doing no harm to “her” branches. The speaker concludes
these descriptions with a reference to the rain. Just like the sun and the snow, this
element does not do anything to act against or injure the tree.
In the final two lines, the speaker returns to the overall theme of the piece,
that art cannot match nature. This, he explains, is due to humanity’s own way of
being. No man or woman can outdo one of God’s creations.