Among the Redwoods
by Edward Rowland Sill (1841-1887)
FAREWELL to such a world! Too long I press
The crowded pavement with unwilling feet.
Pity makes pride, and hate breeds hatefulness,
And both are poisons. In the forest, sweet
The shade, the peace! Immensity, that seems
To drown the human life of doubts and dreams.
Far off the massive portals of the wood,
Buttressed with shadow, misty-blue, serene,
Waited my coming. Speedily I stood
Where the dun wall rose roofed in plumy green.
Dare one go in? — Glance backward! Dusk as night
Each column, fringed with sprays of amber light.
Let me, along this fallen bole, at rest,
Turn to the cool, dim roof my glowing face.
Delicious dark on weary eyelids prest!
Enormous solitude of silent space,
But for a low and thunderous ocean sound,
Too far to hear, felt thrilling through the ground!
No stir nor call the sacred hush profanes;
Save when from some bare treetop, far on high,
Fierce disputations of the clamorous cranes
Fall muffled, as from out the upper sky.
So still, one dreads to wake the dreaming air,
Breaks a twig softly, moves the foot with care.
The hollow dome is green with empty shade,
Struck through with slanted shafts of afternoon;
Aloft, a little rift of blue is made,
Where slips a ghost that last night was the moon;
Beside its pearl a sea-cloud stays its wing,
Beneath a tilted hawk is balancing.
The heart feels not in every time and mood
What is around it. Dull as any stone
I lay; then, like a darkening dream, the wood
Grew Karnak’s temple, where I breathed alone
In the awed air strange incense, and uprose
Dim, monstrous columns in their dread repose.
The mind not always sees; but if there shine
A bit of fern-lace bending over moss,
A silky glint that rides a spider-line,
On a trefoil two shadow-spears that cross,
Three grasses that toss up their nodding heads,
With spring and curve liked clustered fountain-threads, —
Suddenly, through side windows of the eye,
Deep solitudes, where never souls have met;
Vast spaces, forest corridors that lie
In a mysterious world, unpeopled yet.
Because the outward eye elsewhere was caught,
The awfulness and wonder come unsought.
If death be but resolving back again
Into the world’s deep soul, this is a kind
Of quiet, happy death, untouched by pain
Or sharp reluctance. For I feel my mind
Is interfused with all I hear and see;
As much a part of All as cloud or tree.
Listen! A deep and solemn wind on high;
The shafts of shining dust shift to and fro;
The columned trees sway imperceptibly,
And creak as mighty masts when trade-winds blow.
The cloudy sails are set; the earth-ship swings
Along the sea of space to grander things.
Song by Gunny Markefka
Music lyrics adapted from Edward Rowland Sill’s “Among the Redwoods”:
For I feel my mind
Is interfused with all I hear and see
As much a part of All as cloud or tree
The shade, the peace! Immensity, that seems
To drown the human life of doubts and dreams
Far off the massive portals of the wood
Misty blue, serene
The cloudy sails are set; the earth-ship swings
Along the sea of space to grander things
The cloudy sails are set; the earth-ship swings
Along the sea of space to grander things
Among the Redwoods, yeah
Among the Redwoods, Mmm
Dare one go in? Glance backwards! Dusk as night
Each column fringed with sprays of amber light
Let me along this fallen bole at rest
Turn to the cool dim roof my glowing face
Enormous solitude of silent space
Yeah, the cloudy sails are set; the earth-ship swings
Along the sea of space to grander things
The cloudy sails are set; the earth-ship swings
Along the sea of space to grander things
Among the Redwoods, yeah
Among the Redwoods, yeah
But for a low and thunderous ocean sound
Too far to hear, felt thrilling through the ground
So still, one dreads to wake the dreaming air
Breaks a twig softly, moves the foot with care
Listen! A deep and solemn wind on high
The shafts of shining dust shift to and fro
The columned trees sway imperceptibly
And creak as mighty masts when trade wind blows
Mmm, deep solitudes, where never souls have met
In a mysterious world, unpeopled yet
The cloudy sails are set; the earth-ship swings
Along the sea of space to grander things
The cloudy sails are set; the earth-ship swings
Along the sea of space to grander things
Among the Redwoods, yeah
Among the Redwoods, yeah
Guntbert “Gunny” Markefka is a singer-songwriter from Hannover, Germany. Since 2020 over 40 of his single releases have been released via the digital distribution label “GEMA Music-Hub.” His Great Poetry Songs can be heard here. He earned his Ph.D. at Hannover University, developed world patents in the area of Natural Language Understanding Technologies during his 20+ year career at T-Mobile / Deutsche Telekom, and served as an international director on the board of various telecom associations. Since 2020 he has been a member of the Society of Classical Poets.
Enjoyed both poems very much, Gunny, and the music. Both have captured
what I imagine being in that hushed expanse of overwhelming trees. The poems
make me wish to experience the Redwood Forrest personally.
Hello jd, I’m sure a visit to the Redwoods will impress you as much as it impressed me. To be precise, it was Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, CA 94941, in 1981 and Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve, Ukiah, CA 95482, in 2006. After the tour, my American friend gave me his Sill edition as a present. Thus, this poetry song came to life and is now carrying my joy to you.
Gunny, such a superb poetic song as your words and music entertain us with their grandeur as mined from a classic source.
Dear Roy, I am happy you appreciate the effect on the poem when put to music. The written words develop their own dynamics through the singing, creating a vivid image of the poem. I hope that every poetry song of mine is both an intellectual and emotional pleasure for the attentive listener – like you.
I like Edward Rowland Sill’s pensive, introspective poetry, and I think Sill would be delighted with your adaptation. It was fun noting my subtly different emotions when reading the poem and when listening to your enchanting song. Oceans may seem more exotic and treacherous, but the alien Big Woods somehow manifest a capricious indifference that stirs a visitor’s apprehension. “One dreads to wake the dreaming air.”
Dear David, just as Edward Sill may have felt, I experienced the peace and grandeur of this special place, among the Redwoods. For him, in his time, it was first and foremost a farewell to the noisy world of doubts and dreams. For me, as a North German with a close connection to the sea, the last lines of the poem resonated even more deeply, reinforcing the hope of setting sail for new shores with the mighty earth-ship.
How is it that I’ve never heard of Edward Sill? His poem is exquisite to my ear. Your musical rendition does him proud, and these interpretations are a wonderful feature of the SCP site. Thank you, Gunny!
Thank you, dear Cheryl, I felt exactly the same way! A wonderful poet and his words timeless, so much so that they still leave a deep impression today. Apparently, whether you become famous or not is simply a matter of chance.
Gunny, I think your adaptation focuses heavily on the mystery of the Redwoods, saving that earthquake-like deep mystery to conclude, while the original poem goes back to clouds and mind. Those could be equally mysterious, but your song shows how to make a significant choice in performance of the words.
Dear Margaret, I carried the mystery of the Coastal Redwoods with me as a beautiful memory. When I sing “Among the Redwoods” this image comes back to me. And it is the same when selecting the lines from the original poem which I arranged into stanzas for this song. However, the choice of words is also determined by whether they are easy to sing and support the melody flow at the same time.