Trees (poem) facts for kids
"Trees" is a famous poem written by an American poet named Joyce Kilmer. He wrote it in February 1913. It was first printed in a magazine called Poetry in August of that year. Later, it was put into Kilmer's own book of poems, Trees and Other Poems, in 1914.
The poem has twelve lines that rhyme. It talks about how beautiful nature is and how human art can never truly copy the amazing beauty of a tree. Kilmer is most remembered for "Trees." Many people have made fun of it in a friendly way or mentioned it in movies and songs.
Some critics say Kilmer's poems are too simple or old-fashioned. But "Trees" is still very popular. A writer named Guy Davenport said it's "the one poem known by practically everybody." You can often find "Trees" in poetry books. It has also been turned into songs many times, including a popular version by Oscar Rasbach. Famous singers like Nelson Eddy and Paul Robeson performed it.
Many places say they have the exact tree that inspired the poem. These include Rutgers University and the University of Notre Dame. But Kilmer's oldest son, Kenton, said the poem isn't about one special tree. He said it could be about any tree. "Trees" was written in an upstairs room at the family's home in Mahwah, New Jersey. This room looked out over their "well-wooded lawn."
Contents
How the Poem "Trees" Was Written
When and Where Kilmer Wrote "Trees"
According to Joyce Kilmer's oldest son, Kenton, the poem "Trees" was written on February 2, 1913. At that time, the Kilmer family lived in Mahwah, New Jersey. This town is in the northwestern part of Bergen County. The Kilmers lived in their Mahwah house for five years. Their home looked out over the Ramapo Valley.
Kenton Kilmer explained how his father wrote the poem:
It was written in the afternoon while he was working on other things. His desk was in an upstairs room. The window looked down a hill with many trees. He wrote it in a small notebook. His parents used this notebook to write down their poems and the date they wrote them. On one page, you can see the first two lines of 'Trees' with the date, February 2, 1913. The full poem is on another page later in the book. It was dedicated to his wife's mother, Mrs. Henry Mills Alden.
In 2013, a journalist named Alex Michelini found this notebook. It was in the Lauinger Library at Georgetown University. The notebook was part of a collection of family papers. Mrs. Henry Mills Alden, to whom the poem was dedicated, was Ada Foster Murray Alden (1866–1936). She was the mother of Kilmer's wife, Aline Murray Kilmer.
What Inspired Joyce Kilmer
Kilmer's poems were often inspired by his strong religious beliefs. He also loved the natural beauty of the world around him.
Many towns across the United States claim to have inspired "Trees." However, we only know for sure that he wrote the poem while living in Mahwah. Both Kilmer's wife, Aline, and his son, Kenton, said these claims were not true. Kenton wrote to a researcher:
My mother and I agreed that Dad never meant his poem to be about one specific tree. It wasn't about trees from any special place. It was just about any trees or all trees that might get rain or snow. And trees that would be good places for robins to build nests. I guess they would also need branches reaching up, for the line about 'lifting leafy arms to pray.' So, not weeping willows.
Kenton Kilmer said the upstairs room where the poem was written looked down over their "well-wooded lawn." This lawn had "trees of many kinds." There were "oaks, maples, black and white birches, and I do not know what else." An interview with Joyce Kilmer in 1915 mentioned his large woodpile at his Mahwah home. It showed that his love for trees was not just sentimental. He worked hard to clear land and split logs.
When "Trees" Was Published
"Trees" was first printed in the August 1913 issue of Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. This magazine started in Chicago, Illinois the year before. It quickly became very important for modern poetry. It published early works by famous poets like T. S. Eliot and Robert Frost. Poetry paid Kilmer six dollars to print the poem. It became popular right away.
The next year, Kilmer included "Trees" in his book Trees and Other Poems. This book was published by the George H. Doran Company.
Joyce Kilmer is mostly known for this one poem. "Trees" was liked as soon as it was published. When his book came out, a review in Poetry magazine said "Trees" was simple like a "nursery rhyme." It had a childlike innocence that made it special. However, the review said most of the other poems in the book were not as good.
Even though "Trees" is still very popular, most of Joyce Kilmer's other poems are not well-known today. Only a few of his poems, including "Trees," are often printed in poetry books. "Trees" started appearing in books shortly after Kilmer died in 1918.
Why "Trees" Is So Popular
People say that with "Trees," Kilmer "rediscovered simplicity." The poem's simple message and easy style are why it is so loved. In 1962, a professor named Barbara Garlitz said her students thought "Trees" was one of the best poems ever. They liked its simple message and how it "paints such lovely pictures." The students felt the poem was "true." It appealed to their love for nature and their appreciation for life and beauty. They liked its message that "the works of God completely overshadow our own feeble attempts at creation."
Because of this feeling, "Trees" is often linked to Arbor Day celebrations. People plant memorial trees and name parks after Kilmer. Examples include the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness and Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in Graham County, North Carolina.
Guy Davenport called "Trees" "the one poem known by practically everybody." Journalist Rick Hampson said students for generations "memorized and recited" it. It helped comfort soldiers in World War I. It was turned into music and carved into stone. It was performed in opera houses and theaters. It was read aloud at Arbor Day ceremonies every April. Robert Holliday, Kilmer's friend and editor, said "Trees" speaks "with authentic song to the simplest of hearts." He added that this "exquisite title poem now so universally known made his reputation more than all the rest he had written put together."
Claims About Inspiration That Were Not True
Because "Trees" is so popular, many towns and groups across the United States have claimed to be where the poem was inspired. Family members and documents clearly show that Kilmer wrote the poem in Mahwah. However, several towns still claim that Kilmer wrote "Trees" while visiting them. Or they say a specific tree in their town inspired him. For example, people in Swanzey, New Hampshire, say Kilmer wrote the poem there during a summer visit, but there is no proof. Montague, Massachusetts, claims that a large maple tree inspired the poem.
In New Brunswick, New Jersey, Kilmer's hometown, people claimed a large white oak tree on the Rutgers University campus was the inspiration. This tree, called the "Kilmer Oak," was thought to be over 300 years old. It was removed in 1963 because it was old and sick. Newspapers reported this local story, but Rutgers said they could not prove that Kilmer was inspired by that oak. Today, young trees grown from acorns of the historic tree are planted there and in other places. The remains of the original Kilmer Oak are kept at Rutgers University.
Because Kilmer was a strong Catholic and wrote to many priests, some people claimed a tree near a grotto (a small cave or shrine) dedicated to the Virgin Mary at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, inspired the poem. A priest named Henry Kemper first made this claim. Kilmer did visit Notre Dame to give talks and see friends. But none of these visits happened before 1914, which was after he wrote the poem.
See also
In Spanish: Trees (poema) para niños
