The Cherry Tree

By Ruskin Bond

About the Poet:

Ruskin Bond (born 19 May 1934) is an Indian author of British descent. He lives
with his adopted family in Labour, Massoorie, India. The Indian Council for Child
Education has recognised his role in the growth of children's literature in India. He
was awarded the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still Grow in
Dehra, his novel in English. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma
Bhushan in 2014.
Stanza wise Analysis:
In the first stanza, the poet takes the readers in the flash back. The poet is narrating
the journey of a cherry tree he had planted. The poet had a desire to have his own
plant. Eight years ago, he had planted a sapling of cherry tree in his yard. The poet
narrates the plant’s journey through the various difficulties it faced. The poet forgot
to take care of the plant after the thrill and excitement of planting a sapling in the
beginning. He later ignored it completely but without any care or attention the plant
kept growing with its natural instinct to survive. Coincidentally in the month of May,
five months after planting the sapling, the poet discovered the plant again. The poet
saw that the plant had grown meanwhile but no one had taken care of it, tended it
and therefore it was surrounded by the wild grass. Even in the coming days, the plant
faced many difficulties like the goat eating its leaves, the grass cutter cutting it by
mistake while cutting the wild grass, the heavy rain during monsoon trying to destroy
it. Though the plant was severely hurt, it survived all the attacks. It had new shoots
of leaves in the next spring. It kept growing upward towards the sun and sky. It
showed great survival spirit and desire to stay alive even in the oddest of the
circumstances. The plant kept moving upwards to gain as much sunlight and air as
possible. The poet accepts that he never played any active role in the growth of the
plant and only observed it from distance. But the plant grew in the middle of the
odds even if it was painful. The time worked miraculously and with the help of the
elements of nature, it grew, facing all the difficulties.
In the second stanza the poet brings us back to the present time and tells us what role
the cherry tree played in his life. Next year the poet went away to Kashmir to spend
his vacation with family but after he came back, instead of being happy after the trip,
he was feeling lonely and lost. He was feeling as if he didn’t have anyone in the
world. There could be some personal problem or family issue the poet was going
through. In this situation when he was not feeling quite healthy or wealthy, he found
comfort in the presence of the cherry tree. The cherry tree reduced the sorrow and
loneliness by being there in his life. It was something the poet could call his own.
The presence of the cherry tree gave him comfort and company. The poet felt great
joy in having the grown up and six feet tall tree with dark trunk. Another surprise
for him was the red cherry fruit on the tree. It was only one and possibly the first
fruit of the tree. It was fully ripened, red in colour and was shining in the sun, looking
like a gem or jewel. The only fruit of the tree was hanging beautifully and by the
look and the value it had in the poet’s life, the fruit and the tree was like a treasure
for him. The next year, the poet was extremely happy to see the beautiful cherry
blossom. The cherry flower is very delicate. Its petals are pink and fragile. The petals
fall down even due to the smallest of the movements or push. Something as delicate
as a mare breath or slow and sleepy breeze can make the petals fall down.
In the third and the last stanza, the poet shares how grateful he was to have the cherry
tree. He describes the memorable evening he spent under the cherry tree. The poet
was lying down under the cherry tree. He’s looking at the bows of the cherry tree
and through the green leaves, he saw the blue sky and blinding sunlight. The green
leaves of the tree are of different beautiful shades of green. The poet also saw the
small little birds flying from one branch to another and the bees joyfully drinking
juice from the flowers. The sun was setting now and it was evening time. The poet
describes the beautiful sky after the sunset. At night the sky was filled with the
shining stars. At that time the night insects like, moon moths and cricket had replaced
the birds and bees. The poet accepts with hesitation that he is grateful to the cherry
tree along with the creatures who are enjoying themselves and are benefited due to
the tree. The poet felt as if they all were praising the tree for its beauty and the joy it
had brought. The poet is hesitant here as he’s aware that even though the tree had
given him great support and happiness, he never actually cared for the tree. The poet
feels happy that he planted the tree eight years ago.
Summary:
The poet is narrating the journey of a cherry tree he had planted Eight years ago. He
describes the different phases of the tree’s life. The poet also describes his life
happening parallelly. Finally, the poet finds that the tree has become his companion
and friend by giving him emotional support and company in his loneliness. The poet
is grateful for having this beautiful tree with him and realises that the tree is giving
so much to everyone who come to the tree. At the end the poet says that he felt happy
that he had planted this tree.
Poetic structure and language:
The poem is divided into two big stanzas.
The couplets rhyme with each other all through the poem.
It’s a narrative poem describing the journey of a cherry tree the poet had planted in
childhood.
A lot of visual imagery is used to make the readers visualize the picture in mind.
The poem is written in simple but effective and free flowing language.
Theme of the poem:
The bond between the cherry tree and the poet is the major theme of the poem. This
poem also covers the cherry tree’s journey of life with all the struggles along with
the survival of plant.
Message in the poem:
The poem gives us a strong positive message of optimism through the journey of the
cherry tree. The way the plant struggled with all the threats and finally managed to
grow into a beautiful tree helping so many creatures. The cherry tree inspires all of
us to keep fighting with all the odds and obstacles. The poem also gives a subtle
message about the importance of trees and nature. The trees are like our friends
giving us so much though we humans ignore them and selfishly just take whatever
we want from nature without giving anything back.
Figures of Speech:
1. Since I placed my cherry seed in the grass.
Alliteration – The sound made by the letter ‘s’ is repeated pleasingly for poetic
effect.
2. And watered it once and went to bed
Alliteration – The sound of /v/ made by the letters ‘w’ and ‘o’ is repeated in the
words, watered, once and went, for poetic effect.
 3. Though no one is caring very much or knowing.
Alliteration – The sound made by the letter ‘n’ is repeated pleasingly for poetic
effect.
4. And suddenly that summer near the end of May,
Alliteration – The sound made by the letter ‘s’ is repeated pleasingly for poetic
effect.
5. I found a tree had come to stay.
Personification – The tree is personified by giving the human quality of staying
somewhere.
6. It was very small, five months child,
Metaphor – The plant is indirectly compared to a child.
Personification – The plant is personified and depicted as a child.
7. The young tree struggle, upward thrust
Personification – The plant is personified by giving the human quality of struggling.
8. Its arms in a fresh fierce lust
Personification – The plant is personified by giving the human quality of feeling
fierce lust.
Alliteration – The sound made by the letter; ‘f’ is repeated pleasingly for poetic
effect.
9. For light and air and sun.
Repetition: The word, ‘and’ is repeated pleasingly for emphasis.
10. I could only wait, as one
Alliteration – The sound /w/ made by the letters; ‘w and o’ are repeated for poetic
effect.
11. Who watched, wandering, while Time and the rain
Alliteration – The sound /v/ made by the letter, ‘w’ is repeated pleasingly for poetic
effect.
12. Made a miracle from green growing pain…
Alliteration – The sound made by the letters; ‘gr’ is repeated pleasingly for poetic
effect.
13. Spent a season in Kashmir –
Alliteration – The sound made by the letter; ‘s’ is repeated for poetic effect.
14. Came back thinner, rather poor,
But richer by a cherry tree at my door.
Antithesis – The opposite ideas are used in the same line to create a contrast.
15. And I could scarcely believe it-a berry.
Alliteration – The sound made by the letter; ‘b’ is repeated for poetic effect.
16. Ripened and jewelled in the sun,
Metaphor – The Berry is indirectly compared to a jewel.
17. Pink, fragile, quick to fall
Climax – The words are arranged in an ascending order of importance. (As per the
textbook)
18. At the merest breath, the sleepiest breeze…
Alliteration – The sound of the letters, ‘br’ is repeated pleasingly for poetic effect.
Personification – The breeze is personified by giving the human quality of being
sleepy.
19. ... Blue blind sky...
Alliteration – The sound of the letters, ‘bl’ is repeated pleasingly for poetic effect.
20. Blind sky, at the finches as they flew
Transferred Epithet – The adjective blind is transferred from the regular noun,
person to the sky.
21. And I Yes I! – praised...
Repetition: The word ‘I’ is repeated pleasingly for emphasis.
22. Yes, I! – praised Night and Stars and tree:
Personification: The night and stars are given the human quality of praising
someone.
23. Line no. 25- 31 (Stanza 1) and complete stanza 2
Imagery: Detail description of the activities or any scene is used creating picture in
the reader’s mind.

Note by
Ms. Meenal Deshmukh, N. M. College, Vile Parle West, Mumbai