The Old Poplar

"The Old Poplar" is a poignant short story by Leo Tolstoy that reflects on themes of nature, change, and the human condition. The narrative centers around an aging poplar tree that stands in a field, witnessing the passage of time and the events that unfold around it. Through the lens of the tree's perspective, Tolstoy explores the interconnectedness of life, the inevitability of aging, and the bittersweet beauty of memories. The story encapsulates Tolstoy's deep respect for nature and his philosophical insights into the cycles of life.

								
For five years our garden was neglected. I hired labourers with axes and
shovels, and myself began to work with them in the garden. We cut out
and chopped out all the dry branches and wild shoots, and the
superfluous trees and bushes. The poplars and bird-cherries grew ranker
than the rest and choked the other trees. A poplar grows out from the
roots, and it cannot be dug out, but the roots have to be chopped out
underground.

Beyond the pond there stood an enormous poplar, two men's embraces in
circumference. About it there was a clearing, and this was all overgrown
with poplar shoots. I ordered them to be cut out: I wanted the spot to
look more cheerful, but, above all, I wanted to make it easier for the
old poplar, because I thought that all those young trees came from its
roots, and were draining it of its sap. When we cut out these young
poplars, I felt sorry as I saw them chop out the sap-filled roots
underground, and as all four of us pulled at the poplar that had been
cut down, and could not pull it out. It held on with all its might, and
did not wish to die. I thought that, no doubt, they had to live, since
they clung so much to life. But it was necessary to cut them down, and
so I did it. Only later, when nothing could be done, I learned that they
ought not to have been cut down.

I thought that the shoots were taking the sap away from the old poplar,
but it turned out quite differently. When I was cutting them down, the
old poplar was already dying. When the leaves came out, I saw (it grew
from two boughs) that one bough was bare; and that same summer it dried
up completely. The tree had been dying for quite awhile, and the tree
knew it, so it tried to give its life to the shoots.

That was the reason why they grew so fast. I wanted to make it easier
for the tree, and only killed all its children.
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