One by one, like leaves from a tree,
All my faiths have forsaken me;
But the stars above my head
Burn in white and delicate red,
And beneath my feet the earth
Brings the sturdy grass to birth.
I who was content to be
But a silken-singing tree,
But a rustle of delight
In the wistful heart of night—
I have lost the leaves that knew
Touch of rain and weight of dew.
Blinded by a leafy crown
I looked neither up nor down—
But the little leaves that die
Have left me room to see the sky;
Now for the first time I know
Stars above and earth below.
Love Poem by Sara Teasdale
Meaning of the Poem ‘Leaves’ by Sara Teasdale
Sara Teasdale’s ‘Leaves’ is a quiet, profound reflection on personal transformation through loss. The speaker compares her past beliefs or illusions – “all my faiths” – to leaves that have fallen away one by one. Once content to be a “silken-singing tree,” living in gentle beauty and sheltered illusion, she is now stripped bare by experience.
Yet in that bareness comes clarity. With the leaves gone, she can finally “see the sky” and notice the solid ground beneath her: symbols of a wider, truer understanding. Loss, once mourned, reveals a deeper connection to reality, both earthly and cosmic.
The poem suggests that while loss may feel like diminishment, it often clears space for awakening and deeper perception. It is a celebration of what can be gained when illusions fall away.
