Alfred Joyce Kilmer was an American poet, as well as journalist, literary critic, lecturer, and editor, who was born on 6 December 1886.
Although married and with children Joyce Kilmer volunteered for service in 1917 following America’s entry into World War I. Before his departure, he contracted with publishers to write a book about the war, but he never had a chance to pen it because he was killed by a German sniper’s bullet to the head at the Second Battle of the Marne (France) on 30 July 1918. He was thirty-one years old.
He is mainly remembered for his poem “Trees” which appeared in Poetry magazine in 1913 and, the following year, was published as the title poem in his collection “Trees and Other Poems”
Its immediate and continued popularity has been attributed to Kilmer’s deeply-held affinity for nature and for God, described with a combination of sentiment and simple philosophy,
This short poem is still published in anthologies despite the continuing negative opinion from scholars and critics who have dismissed Kilmer’s work as being too simple and overly sentimental. Many writers have even parodied his work and style (considered too traditional, even archaic) as attested by the many imitations of “Trees”.
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.

Alberi
Non credo che vedrò mai
una poesia bella come un albero.
Un albero la cui bocca avida sia premuta
contro il dolce seno fluente della terra;
un albero che guardi Dio tutto il giorno,
e alzi le sue braccia frondose in preghiera;
un albero che in estate possa indossare
fra i capelli un nido di pettirossi;
sul cui petto si deponga la neve;
chi viva intimamente con la pioggia.
Le poesie sono fatte da sciocchi come me,
ma solo Dio può creare un albero.
(L.Z.)
Reblogged this on All About Writing and more.
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Thank you for reblogging 🙏🌳🙏🌳🙏
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Ottima traduzione, Luisa. Complimenti🌹
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Grazie, Marcello. Il tuo apprezzamento, come sai, mi è caro
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❤
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Adoro gli alberi, ancor di più quando ne è rimasta la sola essenza, in inverno, e il loro scheletro mostra la loro anima che tende al cielo! 🙂
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Che bella immagine!
Anch’io li amo, mi piace ammirarli e anche toccarli: sembra che comunichino energia
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A me piace fotografarli… ma a volte ne carezzo la corteccia!
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🌳🍃🌲🍃🌳
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“Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”
I love it !
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I agree: that’s GREAT! ❤
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Lovely poem..thanks for sharing 👍
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I’m grateful for your kind words. Thank you so much
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Che bella traduzione Luisa! Molto commovente! L’hai personalizzata
Un bacio
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Grazie, Rebecca cara.
Contraccambio con tanto affetto 🙏💙🙏💙🙏
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Splendido Luisa, molto bello. Buona serata 🌳💕🌳💕🌳
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Grazie, Dani
Buona serata a te!!!🌳🌟🌳🌟🌳
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Wow, a wise and beautiful poem. Thank you my dear friend 💕 🙏😘❤
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Thank you for your nice message!
Have a lovely week 🧡🌳🧡🌳🧡🌳🧡
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🙏❤⚘
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E’ stupenda.
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… e pensare che è stata tanto denigrata, perché troppo semplice e dolce 🌲🧡🌲🧡🌲
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Ciao Luisa, bella serata ❤
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Ormai è lunedì: buona settimana a te, Simona cara 💖🎈💖🎈💖
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Uuuuh che piacere….
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Grazie!!!! 😘😘😘
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A wonderful poem. I am going to try and memorise it. So sad that his life was cut short.
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So glad you loved it!
It is a simple poem, simply beautiful 🌳🌳🌳🌳
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As a low brow, I love that poem. I didn’t know he was killed in WWI. Thanks for the back story.
You have added to my store of knowledge.
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How kind of you to say that!
I heartily thank you for your beautiful words and I wish you a happy week 🌹❣🌹❣🌹❣🌹
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Same to you, Luisa. 🎀🎄🥳
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😊🌹😘🌹😊
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Joyce Kilmer wrote so many good pieces.
Thank you for your tribute to him. 🙂
♐
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Thank you very much: I’m so glad you appreciated my post😊😊😊
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Gosh! This is beautiful. Thanks for this post ❤🕊
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[…] his poem “Trees”, made up of twelve lines of rhyming couplets (see here). Joyce Kilmer talks about the inability of art to replicate the beauty achieved by nature.Its […]
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Che nostalgia di una bella passeggiata nel bosco… vivo in centro città, per fortuna con un affaccio su cortili interni dove verdeggia un vecchio alloro, e in lontananza un albero alto almeno 10 metri. E poi leggo La vita segreta degli alberi di Peter Wohlleben, un libro pieno di sorprese!
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🌲🧡🌳🧡🌲🧡🌳🧡🌲
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[…] “Trees” (see here) Joyce Kilmer continued with his regular rhyme schemes. For example, his poem “In Memory” […]
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[…] Joyce Kilmer: Trees […]
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