A Valley Thick with Oaks

Still is a valley
Surrounded by a forest of oaks
Bespiring deeply
With the breath of our ancestors
A knot of roots
Hold steadfast the earth
Bonds that link a nation
Foregoing generations
Eternal, unswayed

Roots of heritage
Pertain to the valley
Roots of hope
Growing strong
Entwined in the land
A valley thick with oaks

Its villages silenced
By the drift of clear water
A bell tolls for many
Their presence long gone
A voice in the wind
Telling secrets of the fallen
Lessons without words
A proud spirit remains
In the heart of every Englishman