138 How to Know the Trees 



to a greater age than most of their neighbors. 

 Some people call the white oak the King of the 

 Forest. 



"The oak," says Washington Irving, "is an 

 emblem of what a true nobleman should be; a 

 refuge for the weak, a shelter for the oppressed, 

 a defense for the defenseless; warding off from 

 the peltings of the storm, or the scorching rays 

 of arbitrary power." 



A song to the oak, the brave old oak, 

 Who hath ruled in the greenwood long; 



Here 's health and renown to his broad green crown, 

 And his fifty arms so strong. 



There 's fear in his frown when the sun goes down, 



And the fire in the west fades out; 

 And he showeth his might on a wild midnight, 



When the storm through his branches shout. 



Then here 's to the oak, the brave old oak, 



Who stands in his pride alone; 

 And still flourish he, a hale green tree, 



When a hundred years are gone. 



Henry F. Chorley. 



