The trees in the garden rained flowers.
Children ran there joyously.
They gathered the flowers
Each to himself.
Now there were some
Who gathered great heaps —
Having opportunity and skill —
Until, behold, only chance blossoms
Remained for the feeble.
Then a little spindling tutor
Ran importantly to the father, crying:
“Pray, come hither!
See this unjust thing in your garden!”
But when the father had surveyed,
He admonished the tutor:
“Not so, small sage!
This thing is just.
For, look you,
Are not they who possess the flowers
Stronger, bolder, shrewder
Than they who have none?
Why should the strong —
The beautiful strong —
Why should they not have the flowers?”
Upon reflection, the tutor bowed to the ground,
“My lord,” he said,
“The stars are displaced
By this towering wisdom.”
The trees in the garden rained flowers.
Analysis, meaning and summary of Stephen Crane's poem The trees in the garden rained flowers.
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What does “The stars are displaced / By this towering wisdom” mean? Is it a reference to Revelation 12:4: “And his [the dragon’s/Satan’s] tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth” and to Isaiah 14:12-17–pride and greed leading to the fall of oneself and others? Or is the boy actually agreeing with his father?
As some of friends said ,it,s very beautiful and impossible to capture in words the feelings i have for this poem. thank you
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