Classic Poem

THE WOOD

Belovèd wood! Thou barrier green!
 Thou leafy wall, through whose fair gates
I pass into a realm serene!
 What joy within thy boundaries waits!
The world of men I leave behind,
 Behind me now my troubles fall,
And comes the influence o'er my mind
 Of these great shapes, so calm and tall.
The oak, the chestnut and the beech
 Upon me now their blessings lay,
Rest and tranquillity they teach—
 “Be one of us,” they seem to say,
“Forget the storm, the stress, the strife,
Share with us our serener life.”