Can the trees you pass on a walk reveal a nation's true soul?
In short: W. H. Auden’s poem Woods explores the connection between sylvan nature and national character. This video pairs a 1956 archival recording of the poet with contemporary imagery from The Met’s collection and Kingston, New York, to highlight his early plea for conservation.
Recorded at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on February 23, 1956, Auden’s recitation of Woods serves as both a meditation on nature and a warning against the rapid deforestation of his time. The poem suggests that the character of a country is mirrored in the trees found within its landscape.
This production, directed by Stephanie Wuertz, breathes new life into the original reel-to-reel audio by digitizing the recording and layering it with visual art and wildlife footage. Auden was part of a distinguished series of poets hosted by The Met, which also featured readings by T. S. Eliot, Robert Frost, and E. E. Cummings.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: "Woods" by W. H. Auden: An Optical Poem, 2025 | From the Vaults
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