Poetry Analysis "The Heart of Tree" By Henry Cuyler Bunner

The Heart of Tree

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high.
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For song and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard -
The treble of heaven's harmony -
These things he plants who plants a tree.

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again;
He plants the glory of the plain;
He plants the forest's heritage;
The harvest of a coming age;
They joy that unborn eyes shall see -
These things he plants who plants a tree.

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants, in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good -
His blessing on the neighborhood
Who in the hollow of his hand
Holds all the growth of all our land -
A nation's growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.

By Henry Cuyler Bunner

Moral Value

        Through the poem, the poet seems to be concerned about the next generation's survival, growth, and progress. As the poet, Henry Cuyler outlines several benefits of trees, kindness, and blessing all those who take care of them or even those who neglect it. He appears to be making an indirect appeal to all humans around the world and also asserts that individuals who plant a tree and plan for the future, even for people they do not know, should develop an emotional attitude toward trees for the benefit of society and its citizens, and start to realize as the most important part of their life and the earth, care for it and contribute to the growth of more trees in order to make the world like a paradise.

Figurative Language

1. Personification

In the sentence “He plants a friend of sun and sky;" the poet personifies the tree when he calls it a 'friend of sun and sky'.

2. Metaphor 

The sentence "He plants the flag of breezes free;" refers to the leafy branches of a tree representing a flag and "The shaft of beauty, towering high" refers to an incredibly beautiful shaft standing tall in the first stanza are examples of metaphors in the poem. 

3. Metonymy

In the first stanza, there are two metonyms:

- The term 'Heaven' in "He plants a home to heaven anigh;" represents the sky. We normally think that heaven is situated somewhere up in the sky and the poet actually implies that the guy who plants a tree also plants a home for birds high in the sky. 

- The term 'Treble' in "The treble of heaven's harmony" refers to the song or simply the sound made by birds.

Feedback: 

    The title "The Heart of the Tree" by Henry Cuyler Bunner is both appropriate and provocative. Throughout the poem, the focus itself is on the tree. The poet alludes to the tree's 'heart,' or the type of heart it has. It is generous, kind, and magnanimous because humans who plant a tree not only contribute to the betterment of nature but also help in the nation's growth.