The Tree Of Song, poetry by Sara Teasdale

Image Credit: poets.org

Sara Teasdale (August 8, 1884 – January 29, 1933) was an American lyric poet who was born in St. Louis, Missouri. For much of her childhood she had such poor health and was home schooled until the age of 9. She started at Mary Institute in 1898, but switched to Hosmer Hall in 1899, graduating in 1903.

Teasdale's first poem was published in Reedy's Mirror, a local newspaper, in 1907. Her first collection of poems, Sonnets to Duse and Other Poems, was published that same year. Her second collection, Helen of Troy and Other Poems, was published in 1911. Critics praised its lyrical mastery and romantic subject matter. Her third poetry collection, Rivers to the Sea, was published in 1915. It was and is a bestseller, being reprinted several times. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1918 for her 1917 poetry collection Love Songs. It was "made possible by a special grant from The Poetry Society," however; the sponsoring organization now lists it as the earliest Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (inaugurated 1922).

From 1911 to 1914 Teasdale was courted by several men, including the poet Vachel Lindsay. She chose to marry Ernst Filsinger, however, a longtime admirer of her poetry, on December 19, 1914. Urban legend surrounds Sara Teasdale's suicide. The poem "I Shall Not Care" was speculated to be her suicide note because of its depressing undertone. As we celebrate National Arbor Day and National Poetry Month, we invite you to enjoy the following poem, The Tree of Song, by Sara Teasdale.

The Tree Of Song

By Sara Teasdale

I sang my songs for the rest,

For you I am still;

The tree of my song is bare

On its shining hill.

For you came like a lordly wind,

And the leaves were whirled

Far as forgotten things

Past the rim of the world.

The tree of my song stands bare

Against the blue,

I gave my songs to the rest,

Myself to you.