Forests have been captivating subjects for poets throughout history. In their poems, poets skillfully capture the enchantment, tranquility, and ecological richness of forests, weaving together imagery presenting the lushness of foliage, the gentle rustle of leaves, the symphony of waterfalls, the beauty of flowers, the grandeur of towering trees, the rhythm of insects, the flow of the river, and the play of wildlife.
In celebrating their beauty and serenity, poets invite readers to reflect upon their profound significance. Forests are not merely landscapes but vital reservoirs of biodiversity and resources, wellsprings of inspiration, and sanctuaries that offer solace and renewal to the human spirit. Through their words, poets underscore nature’s enduring power and majesty.
These poetic expressions delve into the symbiotic relationship shared between humans and forest ecosystems, emphasizing interconnectedness and mutual dependence. Simultaneously, the poems also show that civilization’s relentless march has led to a gradual estrangement from the forests, as today we encounter them fleetingly, primarily for sightseeing.
Nonetheless, forests have borne the brunt of human progress and curiosity. Rampant development has inflicted irreparable harm upon them. The poems reflect upon the impact of human activities on forests, reminding us of our collective responsibility to safeguard and preserve this invaluable natural treasure for generations to come.
‘Sleeping in the Forest’ by Mary Oliver depicts the speaker’s surreal experience amidst the tranquility of the natural world.
I thought the earth remembered me, she
took me back so tenderly, arranging
her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds. I slept
‘The Forest Path’ by Lucy Maud Montgomery is an uplifting nature poem that describes the beauty and magic one can find in the forest.
Oh, the charm of idle dreaming
Where the dappled shadows dance,
All the leafy aisles are teeming
With the lure of old romance!
A contemporary poem, Raymond Antrobus’s ‘With Birds You’re Never Lonely,’ shows how flourishing nature and wildlife have a bewitching power.
I can’t hear the barista
over the coffee machine.
Spoons slam, steam rises.
I catch the eye of a man
‘Nutting’ by Wordsworth describes the speaker’s journey into the woods to collect nuts and the resulting pleasure and rage he experiences.
—It seems a day
(I speak of one from many singled out)
One of those heavenly days that cannot die;
When, in the eagerness of boyish hope,
‘The Way Through the Woods’ by Rudyard Kipling describes the changes that have come over one particular forest since a road was closed.
They shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
‘The Song of Hiawatha’ Introduction by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is the first in a series of sections, or cantos, from the long epic poem, ‘The Song of Hiawatha.’
Should you ask me, whence these stories?
Whence these legends and traditions,
With the odors of the forest
With the dew and damp of meadows,
Robert Frost penned this poem, ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ in 1922, subsequently published with his long poem, ‘New Hampshire.’
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
‘Laughing Song’ from Blake’s collection ‘Songs of Innocence’ celebrates the innocent and pure joy found among nature and children.
When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy,
And the dimpling stream runs laughing by;
When the air does laugh with our merry wit,
And the green hill laughs with the noise of it;
Robert Frost’s poem ‘Come In’ examines how we project ourselves onto nature and interpret its various phenomena.
As I came to the edge of the woods,
Thrush music — hark!
Now if it was dusk outside,
Inside it was dark.
‘Storm in the Black Forest’ by D.H. Lawrence makes the readers feel how truly vulnerable mankind is in the face of nature’s fury.
Now it is almost night, from the bronzy soft sky
jugfull after jugfull of pure white liquid fire, bright white
tipples over and spills down,
and is gone
‘Tall Ambrosia’ by Henry David Thoreau depicts the joy one can take from the natural world, specifically the field of Ambrosia.
Of those well dressed ones who no morning dew
Nor Roman wormwood ever have been through,
Who never walk but are transported rather—
For what old crime of theirs I do not gather.
‘Trillium’ by Louise Glück reveals an awakening in a forest, exploring mortality, vulnerability, and the transformative power of self-discovery.
When I woke up I was in a forest. The dark
seemed natural, the sky through the pine trees
thick with many lights.
I knew nothing; I could do nothing but see.
Ted Hughes’ ‘The Thought-Fox’ explores a poet’s creative process, using a fox’s movements as a metaphor for the writer’s inspiration.
I imagine this midnight moment's forest:
Something else is alive
Beside the clock's loneliness
And this blank page where my fingers move.
‘Song of the Chattahoochee’ is a 19th century American poem that takes the perspective of the Chattahoochee river as it flows from northern Georgia to the sea.
Out of the hills of Habersham,
Down the valleys of Hall,
I hurry amain to reach the plain,
Run the rapid and leap the fall,
‘The Forest’ by Susan Stewart is a complex, cyclical poem about how memories can give new life to things that no longer exist.
You should lie down now and remember the forest,
for it is disappearing--
no, the truth is it is gone now
and so what details you can bring back
might have a kind of life.
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