Adelard's Tree (The Allestree Sonnet) Poem by Martin Ward

Adelard's Tree
(The Allestree Sonnet)

In Allestree, Adelard's Tree stands strong.
Saxons planted it here, in holy ground,
long before the Conqueror came along:
Our witness of ages and times profound.
Generations of good Allestree folk,
comforted by its sight and call to rest,
live in the steadfastness that it invokes:
Our children bear its emblem on their breast.
Timeless, it seems, in nature's majesty.
Companion to our tears and laughter;
guardian, sentinel in gravity;
friend at birth, wedding and the hereafter.
Evergreen, beautiful, Adelard's Tree:
forever the symbol of Allestree.

How many times have you heard the bells ring
in times of war or celebration here,
or sensed the drift of voices as they sing
in celebration, remembrance or cheer?
You give us shade in the heat of summer
and shelter in the pleasant petrichor.
Branches like arms that welcome newcomers:
Adelard's Tree is our Saint Christopher.
Yew tree that is like a world-wise elder,
an English version of the Peepul Tree.
In all motifs, Allestree's defender
and symbol of our lives and destiny.
Evergreen, beautiful, Adelard's Tree:
forever the symbol of Allestree.

We are just travellers on life's portway,
but you remain: a symbol of our hope.
Though times may change and people pass your way,
the spirit of Allestree you invoke.
Let your branches be like a canopy
that shelters and protects us for all time.
Be a beacon of love for Allestree,
Our Nation and to those in poorer climes.
May you grow for the next Millennium
and far beyond to give us constancy.
The common good is our Elysium,
which our yew displays in allegory.
Evergreen, beautiful, Adelard's Tree:
forever the symbol of Allestree.