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What do we plant when we plant the tree?
We plant the ship which will cross the sea.
We plant the mast to carry the sails;
We plant the planks to withstand the gales--
The keel, the keelson, the beam, the knee;
We plant the ship when we plant the tree.
What do we plant when we plant the tree?
We plant the houses for you and me.
We plant the rafters, the shingles, the floors,
We plant the studding, the lath, the doors,
The beams and siding, all parts that be;
We plant the house when we plant the tree.
What do we plant when we plant the tree?
A thousand things that we daily see;
We plant the spire that out-towers the crag,
We plant the staff for our country's flag,
We plant the shade, from the hot sun free;
We plant all these when we plant the tree
This poem is in the public domain.
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Henry Abbey (1842 - 1911) was an American poet. Born in New York, he attended reputable schools in his youth, but was unable to afford college. He worked as a newspaper editor, bank teller befor ultimately joining his father in their successful grain, flour, and feed business. Throughout his life, Henry published his poetry in a wide variety of periodicals and was active in a variety of literary associations. Most of his books were self-published and many considered Henry a minor poet, but others praised his words
that readily connected with common folk and often focused on the beauty of nature. This poem was set to music by esteemed composer Aaron Copeland in 1941.
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