About the poet Henry Cuyler Bunner was born on 3rd August, 1855 in Oswego, New York. He was educatedd in New York City. Bunner gained a lot of popularity as the editor of a humorous magazine 'Puck' until his death. He developed 'Puck' from a new. struggling comic weekly into a powerful social and political organ. Bunner's fiction. particularly 'Made in France" reflects the influence of Guy de Maupassant and other French writers.
Bunner produced a number of poetry collection including 'Airs from a ready and Elsewhere' (1884), Rowen (1892) and Poems (1896).
One of his short stories "The Tower of Babel" was staged in 1883. Another one, Zenobia's Infidelity' was made into Hollywood movie.
Summary of the Poem
In the poem 'The Heart of the Tree', the poet Henry Cuyler Bunner presents the beneficial aspects of planting a tree both to the person who plants a tree and to the society and, overall, to the hunanity. The poem not only appreciates the action of planting a tree but also honours the heart of a person who does this noble and benevolent act.
He who plants a tree ensures many things. A plant grows upwards as if it aspires to get in touch with the sun and the sky so that they get a new friend in a tree. The sun and the sky help a tree to grow up and spread its branches. The tree in turn keeps the air clean. Moreover, the tree needs sunlight and air to stay alive. Also, the tree appears to soak up the heat and relieve the earth from the sweltering sun. A tree flutters like a flag in the breeze and makes the breeze cool and fresh. The tree is beautiful, tall like a tower. It sways with the breeze and beautifies the surrounding. It is a home to chirping birds which sing sweetly and display heaven's harmony on this earth. The tree gives us shade and brings rain. It paves the way for many more seeds to grow and buds to bloom in future. It contributes to forest wealth of our nation which ensures plenty of harvest in the days to come. The one who plants a tree leaves a rich legacy for the coming generations. The poet almost gives a divine status to the man who plants a tree because he has the power and faculty to alter the destiny not only of his neighbourhood and nation but also in an indirect way, the whole of humanity. The concluding lines of the poem stree the significance of man's heart, his feelings, dreams and aspirations behind planting a tree.