Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Loveliest of Trees


Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.
-A.E. Houseman

This is my mom's favorite poem. When we were in school my mom used to make my siblings and I memorize poetry. My mom has a passion for english and she wanted to breed that same passion in us. I didn't mind memorizing the poetry but then she would organize a poetry reading with all of the other homeschool families and we would have to recite what we had been learning. I really didn't enjoy having to perform but I suppose in the end it was beneficial because now I really don't mind talking in front of crowds and I have a comparatively extensive knowledge of poetry. I am grateful that my mother made me think harder then I would have liked. At one point during this period of my life I memorized "Loveliest of Trees" and it is the poem I remember best and is brought to my mind most frequently. As I said before it is my mom's favorite poem and now every time I think of it I think of her. It is quite lovely. So, there is a little piece of my heart.

6 comments:

slynnt said...

Those are like the most beautiful trees ever. I love them!

humeangel's practical gluten-free said...

I'm glad you love this poem, and poetry in general. I'm very proud of that(I did something right). Only problem, Edgar Guest didn't write it, AE Houseman did.

Tiffany Ann said...

You are wrong mom. Edgar Guest did write it. Look it up.

humeangel's practical gluten-free said...

33. Loveliest of Trees by A. E. Housman: Modern British Poetry
Tiffany, how could I not know who wrote my favorite poem?

Anonymous said...

aww yay thanks :D

annamae said...

Lovely picture and lovely poem! I enjoyed your thoughts too, it was fun to recall those poetry readings as a home school group :)