The Trees

-Adrienne Rich
Stanza 4

My head is full of whispers

which tomorrow will be silent.
Listen. The glass is breaking.
The trees are stumbling forward
into the night. Winds rush to meet them.
The moon is broken like a mirror,
its pieces flash now in the crown of the tallest
oak.
Central Idea Of The Poem

The poem “The Trees” by Adrienne Rich

is a metaphor which compares the trees
to women. The poet is a feminist and
highlights the desire of women to be free
and go out in the open. The trees want to
free themselves from the floor of the
house and go in the open forest. They are
cramped in the houses and their feelings
can be felt and heard by the poet.
Introduction To The Poem

The poem has a symbolic meaning,

the trees are an extended metaphor for
women. The poet says that the women
have rested, healed and recovered and
are ready for their primary purpose –
to renew the empty forest of mankind.
Summary Of The Last Stanza
In the last stanza, the poet says that there are many
thoughts going on in the poet’s mind, which will be
silenced by tomorrow morning. The poet can hear
the sound of glass breaking and the trees moving out
of the house at night, and the wind seems to
welcome them. The poet says that the moon in the
sky looks like a broken mirror because it is partially
covered by the branches and the leaves. These
broken pieces of the moon look as if they are
crowning the oldest oak tree
Thank You