The Forest Canopy: Herbivores

Abstract

There Is A magnificent Polish epic poem, Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz, in which a wild forest is the background to the story. Part of it is called ‘The Forest Community’ and the first seven lines of this run as follows:

Those woods of Lithuania — who has dared explore Their depths abysmal, penetrate their midmost core? A fisher on the beach shall scarcely sound the sea! The hunter can but skirt our forest-bed — and he Beholds its outward form and feature, these alone; To him its inner heart and secret are unknown. Only report and fable tell what there is found.

Translation by Oliver Elton, 1940.¹³⁸