We rot and rot and thereby hangs a tale

'Tis but an hour ago since it was nine, And after one hour more 'twill be eleven; And so, from hour to hour, we ripe and ripe, And then, from hour to hour, we rot and rot; And thereby hangs a tale.
As You Like It. William Shakespeare

An old apple tree manages to produce beauty, even as it stands in death, rotting.