Lyric Poem · Nature

It Is Not Growing Like A Tree

by Ben Jonson

Reading room

1It is not growing like a tree

2In bulk doth make Man better be;

3Or standing long an oak, three hundred year,

4To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere:

5A lily of a day

6Is fairer far in May,

7Although it fall and die that night—

8It was the plant and flower of light.

9In small proportions we just beauties see;

10And in short measures life may perfect be.

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“It Is Not Growing Like A Tree” by Ben Jonson — quilloak.com/poems/it-is-not-growing-like-a-tree

Quick facts

Poem: It Is Not Growing Like A Tree
Poet: Ben Jonson
Length: 10 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Nature, Death & Loss, Short

Craft notes

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Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 10 lines · one 10-line stanza
End rhyme: AABCDDEEAA.

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Author record: Ben Jonson1572–1637
Source record: PoetryDBIt Is Not Growing Like A Tree by ben-jonson, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 49f14fe6f6c8729d…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Nature Death & Loss Short

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