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“Die Eichbäume” by Friedrich Hölderlin

A poem in which Hölderlin evokes the grandeur and solemn endurance of oaks as living symbols of nature’s strength and humanity’s search for harmony with the divine.

“Gestutzte Eiche” by Hermann Hesse

Herman Hesse
A heavily pruned oak as an image of endurance, renewal, and the stubborn will to keep growing despite hardship

"The Oak" by Alfred Tennyson

A human life and an oak through the seasons

Extract from "Oak" by Katharine Towers

Oak by Katharine Towers

An extract from Oak, a book by British poet Katharine Towers

"Mighty Oak Trees" by Hank Williams Jr.

hank_williams_jr_0.jpg

Continuing our series of posts of poems that feature oaks: the lyrics of a country song that likens faithful friends to a stand of oak trees.

If you would like to propose a poem for inclusion in this series, please click here.

 

Pages

Editor's Picks

Group photo at Harvard Herbarium
The Harvard University Herbaria hosted a novel Oak Taxonomy...
Jeannine Cavender-Bares | Apr 21, 2026
Morgan and friends in Argentina
Visits to three collections of Quercus in Buenos Aires...
Morgan Santini | Apr 05, 2026
Michel Duhart and Paco Garin at Jardín Botánico Wilson, Costa Rica
On April 1st, the very day he turned 103, a great friend...
Francisco Garin Garcia | Apr 05, 2026

Plant Focus

Quercus orocantabrica
Roderick Cameron and Carlos Vila-Viçosa give an account of this intriguing species from northwestern Iberia with a complex taxonomic and...

Oak Poetry

“Die Eichbäume” by Friedrich Hölderlin

A poem in which Hölderlin evokes the grandeur and solemn endurance of oaks as living symbols of nature’s strength and humanity’s search for harmony with the divine.

“Gestutzte Eiche” by Hermann Hesse

Herman Hesse
A heavily pruned oak as an image of endurance, renewal, and the stubborn will to keep growing despite hardship

"The Oak" by Alfred Tennyson

A human life and an oak through the seasons

Extract from "Oak" by Katharine Towers

Oak by Katharine Towers

An extract from Oak, a book by British poet Katharine Towers

"Mighty Oak Trees" by Hank Williams Jr.

hank_williams_jr_0.jpg

Continuing our series of posts of poems that feature oaks: the lyrics of a country song that likens faithful friends to a stand of oak trees.

If you would like to propose a poem for inclusion in this series, please click here.

 

Pages

The International Oak Society acknowledges the generous support of the following institutions:

Supporting Institutional Members

 

Standard Institutional Members

Rice University
San Diego Botanic Garden logo
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance logo
South Carolina Botanical Garden

 

The Huntington
The John Fairey Garden