Clasping cool hands, fair shade and silence move
In majesty serene throughout the place;
Queens of the realm of leaf-fringed solitude,
Envelop they with soft and quiet dreams
Their lovers – kings – the mighty redwood trees,
Who tower majestic, glorious over all.
All nature looketh upward to the king –
The forest king – and lowly homage pays.
Pale violets peep from tiny vests of green,
Adding their perfume to the quiet air,
While on the swaying bough the robin’s nest
Rocks gently, and the mother-bird croons low,
And trills a lullaby of peace and rest.
Beneath the perfumed tapestry of pine,
With glimpses of the azure sky between,
We lie and dream, throughout the golden day.
Slim sunbeams slant between thick-woven boughs,
But scarce are bold enough to venture in
The home of shade and silence, and the realm
Of good King Redwood – sovereign of the place.
But now the merry birds their warblings hush,
And Dusk with noiseless footsteps cometh near;
The salt breeze blows from off the dark’ning sea,
And brings with it the moan of restless waves.
Day closes all the flowers ere she departs,
While Shade and Silence grasp seductive arms
Around the Redwoods – and the dark night falls.
by Jessie Juliet Knox
July, 1903 California Ladies’ Magazine
Source: “The Santa Cruz Redwoods,” Santa Cruz Evening Sentinel, August 5, 1903.
