author
Henry Abbey
1842–1911
Best remembered for the much-loved poem “What do we plant when we plant a tree?”, this 19th-century American poet wrote in a clear, musical style that made his work easy to remember and share. His poems often turned to nature, moral reflection, and everyday feeling rather than grand literary display.
1 Audiobook
Stories in Verse
by Henry Abbey
About the author
Born in Rondout, New York, in 1842, Henry Abbey was an American poet whose work appeared widely in the late 19th century. Reliable reference sources agree that he is most closely associated with the poem "What do we plant when we plant a tree?", and he is also known for "The Bedouin's Rebuke."
Abbey was educated in New York schools, including Kingston Academy and the Hudson River Institute, but he did not follow a conventional academic path into literature. Biographical accounts describe him as working in journalism and business as well as writing poetry, which helps explain the practical, accessible tone of much of his work.
He published multiple poetry collections across his career and continued writing into the early 20th century. Abbey died in 1911, leaving behind verse that has lasted less through literary celebrity than through the quiet staying power of individual poems readers continued to remember.