IN A FOREST

Silver birch and dusky pine,

Reaching up to find the light

From the forest's gloomy night,

From the thicket where entwine

Stunted shrub and creeping vine,

From the damp where witch-fire glows

And the poison fungus grows,

High you lift your heads, O trees,

To the kisses of the breeze,

To the far-off vaulted sky,

To the clouds that pass you by,

To the sun that shines on high.

From the dusk of earthly night

Strive, O soul, to reach the light.