THE FIRST TREE

 PLANTED BY AN ORNAMENTAL¹ TREE SOCIETY.

 

We have planted it deep in the yielding soil,

Hard by the house of prayer;

And the cool air plays through its leafy top,

As it stands in silence there.

It is young like ourselves; but, day by day,

The dews of heaven will fall,—

And the gladsome rays of the summer sun,

That shines for each and all;

And, under their gentle ministry²,

It will grow both stout³ and tall.

Then will the roots of the stately tree

Have spread both far and wide;

And perchance its branches will overtop

The church that stands beside;

And safe amid its clustering leaves

Will summer birds abide⁴.

[76]

And those who, full of youthful life,

About the sapling played,

With sober mien⁵ and whitened locks

Will stand beneath its shade,

And ponder with a thoughtful brow

On the changes Time has made.

The years will roll, with a steady course,

To meet Time’s infinite sea;

And the silent waves, in their fearful sweep,

Will ingulf both you and me;

But still, like a beacon⁶ that tells of the past,

Will stand our first elm-tree.

1 ornamental   

adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物

参考例句：

• The stream was dammed up to form ornamental lakes.溪流用水坝拦挡起来,形成了装饰性的湖泊。
• The ornamental ironwork lends a touch of elegance to the house.铁艺饰件为房子略添雅致。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

5 mien   

n.风采；态度

参考例句：

• He was a Vietnam veteran with a haunted mien.他是个越战老兵，举止总有些惶然。
• It was impossible to tell from his mien whether he was offended.从他的神态中难以看出他是否生气了。

6 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。