Under the Greenwood Tree

Poems and Poets

You may want to read my introduction to this series on poems and poets - A Bouquet of Great Poems - Introduction before you read this.

1.Under The Greenwood Tree

My first selection is by way of tribute to Shakespeare, the King-
Emperor of all poets. This is from his play, As you Like It.

Under The Greenwood Tree
Under the greenwood tree,
Who loves to lie with me,
And turn (tune)his merry note,
Unto the sweet bird's throat,
Come hither,come hither,come hither;
Here shall he see 
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.

Who doth ambition shun,
And loves to live in the sun.
Seeking the food he eats,
And pleased with what he gets,
Come hither,come hither,come hither;
Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.

This is both sublime poetry and straight philosophy. There is grand simplicity here.
All the poem conveys is that one should live simply, feeling one's oneness with all Nature,seeking to satisfy one's real needs by what one gets, without falling prey to  ambition. Nature sometimes upsets us, but we should learn to live with it.

For Hindus who have read Upanishads, this poem will immediately call to mind  the very first mantra of the very first Upanishad-Isha.
'Isavasyamidam sarvam yat kincha jagatyam jagat
Tena tyaktena bhunjitha ma grudha kasya swid dhanam

It says, the world is enveloped  ( or pervaded) by the Lord- whatever moves and moves not. Enjoy ( be protected) by renunciation.  Covet not others' wealth ( for whose indeed is wealth?)

Modern economy is based on 'want',which has replaced 'need' as the criterion.  Wants are by definition unlimited,the means to satisfy them being limited; a finite world cannot support infinite wants. Want easily translates into ambition or 'greed'. Nature provides enough to satisfy our needs, but not our greed- said Mahatma Gandhi.  So. modern economics has turned the economic question into a global ecological crisis. This problem cannot be solved by any amount or technology or organization or theoretical niceties.. Personal change has to be the foundation. Shakespeare provides a basis for such a personal transformation here, like the old Upanishad did ages ago.

What about winter and rough weather?  Yes, we do face problems from Nature, but we have to live with them. Indian philosophy calls them 'adi baudhikam'- problems due to the very nature of Nature. Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in the Gita (2.14) that cold, heat etc are caused by the contact of the senses and their objects and one should learn to ignore ( bear or tolerate) them.(titikshasva). It is remarkable that Shakespeare too mentions winter and rough weather ( their equivalent of our severe summer, may be).

As for seeking the food one eats and being pleased with what one gets, Acharya Shankara says something like this in Bhajagovindam: "Yat labhate nija karmopattam, vittam tena vinodaya chittam"  meaning 'whatever you happen to get by your honest efforts (your natural duties),satisfy your mind with that' ( chittam vinodaya) ie be content with what you get.

Our sense of identification  with nature is indicated by the greenwood tree, the sweet bird, the sun shine. This reminds us of what the great modern Tamil poet Subramanya Bharati sang of the crow and the sparrow, the expansive ocean and the high mountain being of our own kind!

Shakespeare's genius is such that what he prescribes for the individual is also the universal solution to a vexed problem. A whole branch of modern economics has sprung up around this idea- sustainable economics, steady state economics etc.( which however is outside the establishment.)

Einstein said that a problem cannot be solved at the level at which it has arisen. Economists cannot solve the problem of modern economies, which is basically one of sustainability. Shakespeare here provides for personal happiness (contentment) and social sustainability. This will automatically eliminate the unconscionable and unpardonable disparity in income and wealth found in all modern market economies. 

As a student of economics and philosophy, I find this poem a wonderful bridge between the two.  This has provided me unfailing inspiration for half a century. I simply admire Shakespeare, and bow to him.