Read the poem and answer the following question
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
With what does the poet compare a tree?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A poem
The poem opens with “I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree.”
- Here the poet puts a tree and a poem side by side. He says no poem can be as lovely as a tree.
- The last two lines make the same comparison again.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: A poet — Incorrect. Wrong focus: the poet talks about himself as a maker of poems. He compares the tree with what he makes, the poem, not with himself.
Option 3: God — Incorrect. Wrong link: God is the maker of the tree. The tree is not compared with God.
Option 4: A robin — Incorrect. Misread: a robin is a small bird. The tree wears a nest of robins “in her hair”. The robins live in the tree. They are not compared with it.