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by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962)

little tree
Language: English 
little tree
little silent Christmas tree
you are so little
you are more like a flower

who found you in the green forest
and were you very sorry to come away?
see    i will comfort you
because you smell so sweetly

i will kiss your cool bark
and hug you safe and tight
just as your mother would,
only don’t be afraid

look      the spangles
that sleep all the year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,

put up your little arms
and i’ll give them all to you to hold
every finger shall have its ring
and there won’t be a single place dark or unhappy

then when you’re quite dressed
you’ll stand in the window for everyone to see
and how they’ll stare!
oh but you’ll be very proud

and my little sister and i will take hands
and looking up at our beautiful tree
we’ll dance and sing
“Noel Noel”

About the headline (FAQ)

Note: this poem entered the public domain in 2021.


Text Authorship:

  • by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962), no title, appears in XLI Poems, in 2. Chansons innocentes, no. 2, first published 1925 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "little tree", 1984 [ medium voice or high voice and piano ], from chansons innocentes (1925), no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by John Milton Cage (1912 - 1992), "Little Christmas Tree", published 1960 [ contralto and piano ], from 5 Songs for Contralto, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by David Leo Diamond (1915 - 2005), "Christmas Tree", published 1972 [ medium voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Paul Nordoff (1909 - 1977), "Little tree", published 1948 [ voice and piano ], from Eight Songs to Poems by E. E. Cummings, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Wayland Rogers , "Little tree" [ soprano and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-05-11
Line count: 28
Word count: 169

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