How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
felled 1879 (epigraph)
Yeah, if the poem's title had you all set to enjoy a happy little poem about some trees, the epigraph sets you straight right from the jump. Change has come to these trees, and the natural world, thanks to some well-placed axe blows.
Quote #2
All felled, felled, are all felled; (3)
We'll say it again: the repetition of this line really drives home the profound impact that this change has on the speaker. He's totally stunned and at a loss for words.
Quote #3
O if we but knew what we do
When we delve or hew—
Hack and rack the growing green! (9-11)
In the second stanza, the speaker starts to realize exactly how harmful this kind of change can be. It's not just a few trees that he's talking about anymore. Instead, this loss represents an irrevocable change, one that can never be undone. The speaker laments the fact that folks just don't realize this.