Briefer than thine, oh tree!
Earth’s glories are; for thou hast seen them pass,
Age after age, as in a magic glass—
Yet change comes not to thee.
Still may Time pass thee by,
Untouched, unscathed—sparing thee still to bind
Us to the Past—thou that art close entwined
With its strange history.
| [3] | The creaking sound made by the branches of this aged willow, when moved by the wind, is believed by the superstitious Arabs to proceed from spirits dwelling among its foliage; and the fact that neither birds or insects ever frequent the tree, and that no flowers thrive in its vicinity, confirms them in their credulous belief. |