The Oak Trees
Stunned by the sunlight on a winter day,
A shock too strong to meet, I turned to look
At oaks that stood in statuesque array,
And somehow on their wintry limbs they took
The sun’s bold light and sent it back to me.
I heard no sound, but exaltation rolled
Out of that grandeur and blue brilliancy.
It seemed the heavens almost cried, “Behold.”
Just this, just this I witnessed and no more
As oak trees stood, colossal, on a hill.
Then all was merely scenic, as before.
That day, that time, is gone and lost, yet still,
Though fading to my end, unsure and old,
I wait to hear the heavens cry, “Behold.”
Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano is a native of Kentucky who for many years has been a bhikkhu, a Buddhist monk of the Theravāda tradition.
Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano, this is likely the greatest poem on oak trees I have ever read. Beautiful sonnet with powerful message.
Very nice sonnet, Bhikkhu. Reflective and relatable!
I got a shivery, Wordsworthian feel from this poem, Bhikkhu. Writing a poem about oak trees seems to be a poets’ rite of passage, but as mentioned above, this oak poem stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Thanks for the read.
I enjoyed the read again Bhikkhu.
A great sonnet.
A very striking representation, in words, of a moment of enlightenment. First, Bhikku Nyanasobhano, you indicate that such a moment is a subtle thing, not a “stunning” one like the overwhelming sunlight. It is stillness (the grandeur of the oaks and the blue of the sky) that bring about exaltation. It goes beyond “merely scenic,” but it is not static, because the whole scene (dominated by the colossal oaks) has a real effect on the perception of the viewer. The turn word of the sonnet is “behold,” a call from the heavens, but not heard by the ear. The effect is both momentary and lasting, as the viewer recognizes and preserves it–to the end of the sonnet, and reflectively, within his whole being. The repetition of the turn, at the last line of the poem, expresses a hope that the exaltation is strong enough to be experienced again, despite passage of time and vagaries of life. You convey a beautiful and inspiring meditation here.