The Oak
Live thy Life,
Young and old,
Like yon oak,
Bright in spring,
Living gold;
Summer-rich
Then; and then
Autumn-changed
Soberer-hued
Gold again.
All his leaves
Fall’n at length,
Look, he stands,
Trunk and bough
Naked strength.
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)
Sung by Susan Diamond
Date of Song’s Composition: April 11, 1985
Commentary: From Tennyson’s collection Demeter and Other Poems, first published in 1889. The oak, a symbol of strength and longevity, endures the changing seasons, representing the journey through youth, maturity, and old age. According to his son Hallam, Tennyson considered the poem “Clean-cut like a Greek epigram. The allusion is to the gold of the young oak leaves in Spring, and to the autumnal gold of the fading leaves.”