A tree’s prayer

“To the Wayfarer-
Ye who pass by and would raise your hand against me
Harken ere you harm me!
I am the heat of your hearth on cold winter nights,
The friendly shade screening you from the summer sun
My fruits are refreshing draughts,
Quenching your thirst as you journey on,
I am the beam that holds your house,
The board of your table,
The bed on which you lie,
And the timber that builds your boat,
I am the handle of your hoe,
The door of your homestead,
The wood of your cradle,
And the shell of your coffin.
I am the bread of kindness and the flower of beauty.
Ye who pass by, listen to my prayer; harm me not.”

A notice originally found nailed to a tree in Seville, Spain and found by me reprinted at the local arboretum.

11 thoughts on “A tree’s prayer”

  1. What a wonderful evocative poem speaking the truth of what trees are for all of us–humans, and other animals.

  2. Well…many of those values a tree represents requires that the tree be sacrificed. Like some hunters who offer a prayer of thanks to the game they kill, I wonder if there are loggers who whisper gratitude to a tree as they fell it.

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