Sidney Lanier, A Ballad of Trees and the Master
“
Into the woods, my Master went, Clean forspent, forspent. Into the woods my Master came, Forspent with love and shame. But the olives they were not blind to Him, The little gray leaves were kind to Him: The thorn-tree had a mind to Him, When into the woods He came.
— Sidney Lanier
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Into the woods, my Master went, Clean forspent, forspent. Into the woods my Master came, Forspent with love and shame. But the olives they were not blind to Him, The little gray leaves were kind to Him: The thorn-tree had a mind to Him, When into the woods He came." in the context of "Sidney Lanier, A Ballad of Trees and the Master" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Jesus" (Quotes about Jesus: Sorted by historical period and date, with sections for quotes from major religious works., The Twentieth Century, Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations: Quotes reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 114–115.)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 30, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth (c. 4 BC - AD 30 / 33), also known as Jesus Christ, Yeshua, Yeshu, Jesu and Isa, is the central figure of Christianity, a philosopher and teacher. He is believed to have lived around modern Israel, around 1 AD, and to be the Messiah of ultimate salvation and the Son of God by followers of Christian traditions. Manichaeans, Gnostics, Muslims, Bahá'ís, and others have found prominent places for Jesus in their religions.
About Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth (c. 4 BC - AD 30 / 33), also known as Jesus Christ, Yeshua, Yeshu, Jesu and Isa, is the central figure of Christianity, a philosopher and teacher. He is believed to have lived around modern Israel, around 1 AD, and to be the Messiah of ultimate salvation and the Son of God by followers of Christian traditions. Manichaeans, Gnostics, Muslims, Bahá'ís, and others have found prominent places for Jesus in their religions.
View all quotes →