Samuil Marshak
Forest day

What do we plant
When we plant a new wood?
Boats
In which waves
Can be safely withstood.
Masts with strong rigging
To hold up the sails,
Sturdy and steady,
To weather all gales.

What do we plant
When we plant
New trees?
Broad wings to glide on
With grace and ease.
Pencils and rulers,
Notebooks and pads
To be taken to school
By girls and lads.

What do we plant
When we plant
A new grove?
Thickets
Where foxes
And badgers
Can rove;
Thickets
Where squirrels
Can play hide-and-seek,
Where the woodpecker taps
At the trees with his beak.

What do we plant
When we plant a new copse?
Leaves on which dew
Will fall in bright drops.
Cool and fresh air.
Fragrance and shade
Rivers in which
We can paddle or wade.
Woods that make life
More healthy and gay,
That is what we
Are planting today.

Translated by Dorian Rottenberg