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I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine.
And he knew that it was mine,
And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.
William Blake
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Wednesday, May 09, 2001 |
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Read poems about / on: tree, friend, night, smile, water, fear
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Comments about this poem (A Poison Tree
by
William Blake
) |
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Ray Remalig (2/11/2012 9:40:00 PM)
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It's hard to keep grudges in our hearts. When they grow, they will choke us. They will turn their heads upon us to bite us.
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Soni Nati (2/6/2012 10:28:00 PM)
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Dude it's a poem I am a sixth grader and no anger please it is about a mother. Do you think I am a mom? He wrote this to express emotion. He didn't kill a dude!
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Udiah Witness to YAH (1/7/2012 7:13:00 AM)
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A further comment: Why did Blake constuct this poem to be completely understood by those who had experienced what he had or those who might know of this very situation, but not just for everyone? Maybe he feared some kind of backlash from the enemy's friends if they ever figured out he had set this genius trap, but yet felt the urge to brag to his friends or even wanted all in the literary circle of his day to realize; 'You screw with me, I will get even, ' thus creating his own copywrite! ! ! ! GENIUS! ! ! ! ! (a reluctant 10.0)
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Daniel Mapp (10/14/2011 2:39:00 PM)
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Poor Lord Byron........he and blake where rivals...poor dude lol.
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Ramesh T A (10/14/2011 3:26:00 AM)
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What a way to kill a foe! Ki-dos to William Blake!
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Udiah Witness to YAH (10/8/2011 9:16:00 AM)
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William Blake in this poem conveys how when wronged by a friend, he confronted him and his friend apologized. But when wronged by an enemy, he realized that it had been done out of contempt. So Blake devised an ingenius plan, born both out of fear and revenge. The enemy had probably stolen an idea or worse, one of his literary works. So Blake created another so irresistable his enemy couldn't help but bite. But hidden within was a poisonous fruit, either something Blake knew his enemy was unable to comprehend or wouldn't take the time to research. Either way his trap worked. It led to his enemy's complete destruction. Brilliant! ! ! !
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Ian Fraser (4/24/2011 10:38:00 PM)
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Nearly all of Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience are outstanding poems and this remains to this day one of the most outstanding collections in existence. What marks them out most strongly from their predecessors is their personal tone. 'A Poison Tree ' is notable in being one of the first poems to introduce a note of irony into its its writing, 'I was GLAD to see my foe, stretched out beneath that tree'. During his lifetime most of Blake's work remained unappreciated and though today his early work is universally admired, the lack of a critical milieu led his later work to become eccentric.
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Ian Fraser (4/24/2011 10:31:00 PM)
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Nearly all of Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience are outstanding poems and this remains to this day one of the most outstanding collections in existence. What marks them out most strongly from their predecessors is their personal tone. 'A Poison Tree ' is notable in being one of the first poems to introduce a note of irony into its its writing, 'I was GLAD to see my foe, stretched out beneath that tree'. During his lifetime most of Blake's work remained unappreciated and though today his early work is universally admired, the lack of a critical milieu led his later work to become eccentric.
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Mohammad Akmal Nazir (4/24/2011 2:10:00 AM)
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It really touched my heart. Blake was one of the most wise poets of English Literature. He wrote many poems full of wit.
Here the poem is extremely rich on moral grounds.
Great stuff.
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Herman Chiu (4/24/2010 7:35:00 PM)
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Bravo, Mr. Blake - that's another one of my favourites you've written!
Thank you for your simple reminders, and simple finishing touches that are at the very least, brilliant!
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42
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