Its trunk is rooted deep within the earth
and branches reach to heaven at their tips.
With arms too small to ring its giant girth,
instead we bow and touch our hands to lips.
Our comprehension stretches to its size
but fails, the world is greater than we know;
its limbs are countless, reaching past the skies,
we delve but never find what lies below.
Uniting earth and heaven, mass and man,
the Tree of Life is cosmos in a thought;
two natures bound in one, a mighty span
of life - in which the multitude is caught.
It stood at the beginning, for all time -
the Tree of Life exists for us to climb.
Author notes
Shakespearean sonnet ababcdcdefefgg
The first two quatrains introduce a subject, the third quatrain offers a different perspective, and the final couplet concludes or contrasts the whole poem.
In a list
A contest entry
- 'The Tree Of Life' - Sonnet for Group Members Only by passim.
1500 points, ended November 5, 2007, 5 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Thanks for reading!
Comments
1 - 16 of 16
-
Lif and Lifrasir are hidden within until the world falls and we start anew!
-
Beautifully constructed. Lovely meter an excellent sonnet. Thank you.
-
Quite a Metaphysical effort
in modern terminology and with fluent lines that roll off the tongue so naturally. English sonnet of beauty and reach (no pun intended). Past the skies, to Heaven, Cosmos in a thought.
I really enjoyed this poem as a poem and admired it as a sonnet that is superb in its genre.
Ron.
-
Not bad ...
I was going to try this but I see I'm outclassed.
Anyway, good job.
-
-
Thank you Jim. I am glad to see you were not completely discouraged.
-
-
I enjoyed the last two quatrains most of all, they felt fuller and richer with a more poignant and vibrant energy. You have caught nicely the symbol and the revelation and mystery of the tree of life.
Love, Tom B.
-
-
Thank you Tom. I felt that the first quatrains were necessary to set the scene. I'll see what I can do with it. I'm glad you enjoyed this, thank you for your generous applause.
-
-
I do not know if this poem has been altered
but I find the first quatrain is fine, introducing us physically to the concept of a giant tree, the centre of the metaphor which informs this poem. And quatrain one ends with quiet reverence:
"instead we bow and touch our hands to lips.".
Ron.
-
-
Thank you for your comments and applause Ron, your opinion is valuable to me. I did not end up changing the sonnet, though I thought about whether the structure was working as intended.
-
-
-
-
Ohhhh! Exquisite. The metaphor of a tree and it's limbs reaching for the light is simply grand. On one hand it passes through all the cycles of season; on the other the idea is as timeless as eternity, each leaf individual yet all derived from the same source.
"the Tree of Life is cosmos in a thought" It did all begin in Divine Mind, yes...execution perfect. Margaret, I am always blessed reading your sonnets. Lovely, lovely.
-
-
Thank you dear Karen. You saw more in this than I saw myself. Your extension of the tree metaphor is great, and the individuals as leaves, excellent.
Thank you for your wonderful support. 
-
-
A solid tribute to a great topic. I would be tempted to change that line to "we delve but never find what lies below." because I like the ongoingness of having it in the present tense.
-
-
That is a great suggestion, thank you. It is in keeping with the preceeding lines, and you are right, it never ends.
-
-
Root and branch....
It stands as the beginning and the end,
From stone to star, it is the way we wend... (Rahad)
Thank you for the delivery of this sweet cup of nectar that flows so dear within each of our hearts. Let us all sink our roots deep and stretch our branches high as Life flows sweet in every vein.
Be ever in bloom,
Rahad
-
"The Tree of Life exists for us to climb"...oh, Margaret...your words are so soothing to me today....I am a child ready to climb this tree...for, "the world is greater than we know"...beautiful and an excellent form, in my opinion, well composed with tight imagery and transition from one perspective to the next. Peace to you always, Rhonda
-
Margaret, this is yet another wonderfully written sonnet. I do so admire your work, and I feel the spirituality of them comes straight from your beautiful heart. Good luck in the contest, my dear. Hugs, Patricia
Adding your comment:
1 - 16 of 16
