"Burn not the sweet apple-tree of drooping branches, of the white
blossoms, to whose gracious head each man puts forth his hand.
"The stubborn blackthorn wanders far and wide, the good craftsman
burns not this timber; little though its bushes be, yet flocks of
birds warble in them.
"Burn not the noble willow, the unfailing ornament of poems; bees
drink from its blossoms, all delight in the graceful tent.
"The delicate, airy tree of the druids, the rowan with its berries,
this burn; but avoid the weak tree, burn not the slender hazel.
"The ash-tree of the black buds burn not--timber that speeds the
wheel, that yields the rider his switch; the ashen spear is the
scale-beam of battle.
"The tangled, bitter bramble, burn him, the sharp and green; he flays
and cuts the foot; he snares you and drags you back.
"Hottest of timber is the green oak; he will give you a pain in the
head if you use him overmuch, a pain in the eyes will come from his
biting fumes.
"Full-charged with witchcraft is the alder, the hottest tree in the
fight; burn assuredly both the alder and the whitehorn at your will.
"Holly, burn it in the green and in the dry; of all trees in the
world, holly is absolutely the best.
"The elder-tree of the rough brown bark, burn him to cinders, the
steed of the Fairy Folk.
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