The Bargain of Forest and Stream by Momai

The stream and the woods made a bargain
That as long as the waters ran
And as long as the trees grew skyward
They'd follow this useful plan

The trees would shelter the rivers
And hold the flood waters back
The rivers would nourish the forest
And see that it ne'er would lack

You ne'er would find a forest
Wide & refreshing and grand
Unless it is nourished by rivers
That flow through renewing the land

And man who destroys the timber
Leaving the mountains bare
Wonders what dried up the river
That once ran steadily there