Biography of joyce kilmer trees summary

About the Poet

The poet of this poem is Joyce Kilmer. He was an American poet and writer, born on December 6, 1886, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Kilmer is best known for his poem "Trees," which reflects his deep appreciation for nature and his religious beliefs. He worked as a journalist and published various works during his lifetime. Kilmer tragically passed away on July 30, 1918, during World War I at the age of 31.

Key Points of the Poem

• The poem consists of 12 lines divided into one stanza.
• It celebrates the beauty and significance of trees in nature.
• The speaker compares the creation of poems by humans to the creation of trees by God.
• Key themes include nature, divinity, beauty, and humility.

Detailed Summary

In this poem, the poet talks about the beauty and uniqueness of trees. The poet believes that nothing he writes can be as beautiful as a tree. He describes a tree as if it's a living being with feelings and actions. The tree's roots are like a hungry mouth drinking water from the ground. The tree stands tall and strong, always looking towards the sky as if praying to God. In summer, the tree might have a bird's nest in its branches. The tree has experienced snow resting on its branches and has interacted closely with rain. The poet concludes by saying that while he can create poems, only God can create something as wonderful as a tree. 

Theme/ Message

Theme: The main theme of the poem "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer is the beauty, resilience, and divinity of nature. Kilmer's admiration for trees reflects a de

Poem by Joyce Kilmer

"Trees" is a lyric poem by American poet Joyce Kilmer. Written in February 1913, it was first published in Poetry: A Magazine of Verse that August and included in Kilmer's 1914 collection Trees and Other Poems. The poem, in twelve lines of rhyming couplets of iambic tetrameter verse, describes what Kilmer perceives as the inability of art created by humankind to replicate the beauty achieved by nature.

Kilmer is most remembered for "Trees", which has been the subject of frequent parodies and references in popular culture. Kilmer's work is often disparaged by critics and dismissed by scholars as being too simple and overly sentimental, and that his style was far too traditional and even archaic. Despite this, the popular appeal of "Trees" has contributed to its endurance. Literary critic Guy Davenport considers it "the one poem known by practically everybody". "Trees" is frequently included in poetry anthologies and has been set to music several times—including a popular rendition by Oscar Rasbach, performed by singers Nelson Eddy, Robert Merrill, and Paul Robeson.

The location for a specific tree as the possible inspiration for the poem has been claimed by several places and institutions connected to Kilmer's life; among these are Rutgers University, the University of Notre Dame, and towns across the country that Kilmer visited. However, Kilmer's eldest son, Kenton, declares that the poem does not apply to any one tree—that it could apply equally to any. "Trees" was written in an upstairs bedroom at the family's home in Mahwah, New Jersey, that "looked out down a hill, on our well-wooded lawn". Kenton Kilmer stated that while his father was "widely known for his affection for trees, his affection was certainly not sentimental—the most distinguished feature of Kilmer's property was a colossal woodpile outsid

Poet introduction-Joyce Kilmer

The poem ‘Trees’ was written by Alfred Joyce Kilmer an American writer and poet in February of 1913. It was first published in 1914 in Poetry: A Magazine of Verse and later published in his collection Trees and Other Poems.

This poem is one of the most well-known among Kilmer’s poems and was even set to music many times due to its lyrical nature. His eldest son Kenton Kilmer says that ‘Trees’ was written in their upstairs bedroom that overlooked a wooded hill, at Mahwah, New Jersey.

Trees poem by Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Stanza-wise summary of the poem Trees

In the first stanza of the poem Trees, the speaker says that he thinks he shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.

In the next stanza the speaker says that since the tree is deeply rooted to the soil, it looks as if its hungry mouth is pressed (prest) against the earth’s sweet flowing breast.

In the next stanza, he describes the nature of the tree that looks at God all day, lifting her leafy arms to Him in prayer.

In the fourth stanza he says that in summer, the tree usually has robins nesting in her branches (a nest of robins in her hair).

In the following stanza, the speaker refers to the change in the seasons since during winter the tree is covered with snow, and during the rains, the tree seems to be living in harmony with the downpour (intimately lives with rain).

In the last stanza of the poem, the speaker concludes that ‘poems’ are written by fools like him but only God can make something as poetic as a tree.

Themes in the poem Trees

Central Theme of the poem Trees

American poet, editor, literary critic, soldier

Alfred Joyce Kilmer (December 6, 1886 – July 30, 1918) was an Americanwriter and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees" (1913), which was published in the collection Trees and Other Poems in 1914. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his Catholic faith, Kilmer was also a journalist, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. At the time of his deployment to Europe during World War I, Kilmer was considered the leading American Catholic poet and lecturer of his generation, whom critics often compared to British contemporaries G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) and Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953). He enlisted in the New York National Guard and was deployed to France with the 69th Infantry Regiment (the famous "Fighting 69th") in 1917. He was killed by a sniper's bullet at the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918 at the age of 31. He was married to Aline Murray, also an accomplished poet and author, with whom he had five children.

While most of his works are largely unknown today, a select few of his poems remain popular and are published frequently in anthologies. Several critics—including both Kilmer's contemporaries