The old pine tree, shaped like a lyre (the Greek musical instrument), is the emblem of the famous Woodstock School in Mussoorie and is an inseparable part of the school’s history and ethos. In a recent article in the school magazine “The Quadrangle”, Dr Jonathan long, the principal of the school, writes about this dying tree. He has quoted a poem written on the tree by Mary Burgoyne.The poem titled “ The lyre Tree” was written in 1954 at the time of Woodstock’s centenary. It says ,
“Storms of a hundred years have bent your branches, Snows of a century have crowned your head, Over the hills you’ve watched Spring’s soft advances, Summer and winter under your boughs have spread Needles of green and needles of gold that shower Over the students passing beneath your shade. You have been waiting this Centennial hour Facing your life of struggle unafraid. Teach us your steadfastness, your quiet growing, Sending your roots deep into the living earth. Tell us the sacred peace you gain in knowing Sunshine and sorrow, solitude and mirth..”
In the article titled “Of Kings and lyre Trees’, Dr long says the poem prompts vivid emotions about this beloved tree overlooking the Doon Valley on the school’s campus. The lyre tree was chosen as the symbol of the school in 1954.
Before 1954, the Woodstock symbol had taken various forms – at one time a Deodar tree and at another, a maiden with a torch. “ These days, the once splendid lyre Tree carries the weariness of age in its tired limbs. The thorough concreting of the surrounding area many years ago may well have been an unintentional fatal blow which has only now become apparent as a devastating one,” writes the principal.
He says they have an expert advising them on a possible remedy but, “as is the fate of all things natural, the tree is in terminal decline. Of all the challenges we face at Woodstock, the demise of the lyre Tree may prove the most insoluble.”
Dr long says that the transition of the lyre Tree from symbol to metaphor may well be inevitable – at least if the experts are to be believed. Some of the pine cones have been collected. He says a friend of his visited some months ago, “He took a number of seeds and promised to see if he could have them “cloned” and grown at the Nestle research laboratory in Vevey, Switzerland!”
He writes that the lyre Tree remains a powerful symbol of some fundamental Woodstock “truths”. “It’s no surprise that metaphors drawn from the natural world often accompany careful reflection on the nature of education - to see the need for firm roots and good nourishment; to recognise the secret rhythms of seasonal change and the potential for growth reaching ever upwards and outwards. These are the enduring qualities which characterise the essence of a Woodstock education.”
The principal adds that if we are looking for meaningful symbols, we are surrounded by them – for in these inspiring Himalayan foothills we find ourselves embraced by majestic forest. “When Charles VII ascended the French throne in 1422 after the death of his father Charles VI, the crowd chanted, “le roi est mort, vive le roi!” (The King is dead, long live the King!). One King died and sovereignty transferred immediately to the next. The lyre Tree may be dead and dying – but “long live the lyre Tree!”