poem 1
Upon the graving of her Name upon a Tree in Barnelmnes Walks
Alas how barbarous are we,
Thus to reward the courteous Tree,
Who its broad shade affording us,
Deserves not to be wounded thus;
See how the Yielding Bark complies
With our ungrateful injuries.
And seeing this, say how much then
Trees are more generous than men,
Who by a Nobleness so pure
Can first oblige and then endure.
(Written by Katherine Philips (1632 - 1664)
Married when 16, she was only 19 when her poems were already circulating and receiving high praise. Had great success with a play in Dublin the year before her very early death.
Source The Penguin Book of Renaissance Verse, 1509 - 1659.)