The Tree
Ezra Pound
I stood still and was a
tree amid the wood,
Knowing the truth of things unseen before;
Of Daphne and the laurel bough
And that god-feasting couple old
That grew elm-oak amid the wold.
‘Twas not until the gods had been
Kindly entreated, and been brought within
Unto the hearth of their heart’s home
That they might do this wonder thing;
Nathless I have been a tree amid the wood
And many a new thing understood
That
was rank folly to my head before.
The School
Robert Edmiston
(inspired by “The Tree” by Ezra Pound)
I sat still and was a student in the class,
Not knowing the lessons untaught before;
Of Lincoln and the Civil War
And that magical number known as phi
That Golden Ratio and the value of pi.
‘Twas not until the teachers had begun to instruct
About verbs and forces and how to construct
That we knew of such concepts
And that we might do some enjoyable things;
Nathless I have been a student in the class
And many a new lesson to grasp and pass
That was rank
folly to my head before.
An Immorality
Ezra Pound
Sing we for love and idleness,
Naught else is worth the having.
Though I have been in many a land,
There is naught else in living.
And I would rather have my sweet,
Though rose-leaves die of grieving,
Than do high deeds in Hungary
To pass all men's believing.
Forest at Twilight
Robert
Edmiston
(inspired by “An
Immorality” by Ezra Pound)
In the woods at twilight,
I feel the wind begin to blow.
The temperature is dropping rapidly,
And it starts to feel like snow.
I know a storm is coming,
As I watch the embers glow.
The animals hide in shelter,
As if they
somehow know.
