‘A culture is no better than its woods’ – what our trees reveal about us, by W H Auden

The trees encountered on a country stroll
Reveal a lot about a country’s soul.
– from Bucolics (1952-53) by W H Auden

Featuring audio restored from a 1956 recording, this video features the British American poet W H Auden (1907-73) performing his poem ‘Woods’ before a crowd at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) in New York City. For the production, the MET paired the video with paintings in its collection – including a work by the Italian Renaissance artist Piero di Cosimo, who is referenced in the poem – along with outdoor footage recorded in Kingston, New York. Soothingly read in a warm baritone, Auden’s elegant appeal for conservation reflects the moment it was written, amid growing concerns about deforestation. It also captures enduring themes of perceived tensions and divisions between humanity and nature, which are depicted in the century-spanning imagery throughout.