THE DISCONTENTED PINE

I. In the shadiest nook of the forest, Where the sunbeams sifted dim, I found a tall pine From whence I had heard a plaintive hymn; A spirit of sorrow was there, A sigh on the evening air.

II. “O show me the land of the free,” The tall pine sighed in vain; “Where the sun shines bright, And the waters flow, But I am chained by fate’s decree, To stand in this spot alone!”

III. The wind it whispers pain, no jest, To the heart of the lovelorn tree; Another loves far away, In the thicket, in bloom, But why must I mourn, Before my time comes to die?”

IV. So says the tall pine, With needles so keen, A fresh autumn night passes by, Yet sleep in silence shall cease, One day I’ll wander far, To the land of the free,”

V. But the night grows cold, As I wish for the cessation, To the core of the wood; Forever I’d stand, but bitter my tears, In a place where I feel so lost — In pain of this discord.

VI. So whispered the trees, Yet still stands the pine; For all of the want, I’ve no lover here, No hope shall abide,” With a sigh on the land.

VII. Alas! That I pine! When the evenings cool and dim. No place to roam or seek, But bide within walls of green, Yet longing and longing, To make my escape someday all the same.

• John Gibson Lockhart