Fallen leaves on forest floors, In wild and lonely ways, As we lost ourselves in springs of lore, Where the drifting echoes play.

What wonder fills my distant sight, To see, ‘neath lofty pines, That Nature spreads her pure delight, Through challenging designs.

For in the ambient dark, Where shadows softly flow, One feels an ancient spark, In the world of plants that grow.

• Alfred Lord Tennyson