These are questions that should be answered to fully understand the poem. Evidence is given to the fact that the apple is tempting. When angry with a friend, Blake is able to control his anger and enclose it in a finite sense. Although Blake uses “A Poison Tree” to point out the lack of self-control and restraint in man, he also shows the tempter, the … On the other hand, Blake shows little forgiveness for an enemy. "The Poison Tree" consists of four sets of rhyming couplets. The tree of good and evil permits the knowledge of differentiating good from evil. Blakes is obviously making a symbol and allegory in reference to the Bible and the Garden of Eden. Some critics suggest that the apple symbolizes Blake’s creative work, which another of his contemporaries may have stolen and used as his own. The poem A Poison Tree is one of the most wonderful and appreciated works of William Blake. When the speaker is angry with his friend, he told the friend of it and his “wrath did end.” However, when he was angry with his enemy, he kept the anger hidden, allowing it to grow. One tree from the Garden of Eden is the tree of good and evil; this is the tree from which Eve took the fruit (however not an apple) and shared it with Adam. Now the question is whether the Blakes tree symbolizes, from the Bible, the tree of good and evil or the tree of life. Songs of Experience. It is a poem that had a sense of mystery around it.  Till it bore an apple bright,  And my foe beheld it shine, And I watered it in fears Explore two sorts of relationship either by comparing a pair of poems or by ranging across the whole collection. If so, it appears the theft of Blake’s intellectual property ended badly for the thief (or at least Blake hopes it will). The climax of the poem comes in the fourth and last stanza. Blake mentions that he, referring to the tree, “sunned it with smiles./ And with soft deceitful wiles” (Songs of Experience Pg.39). This essay has been submitted by a student. The second tree is the tree of life which also contains fruit, that if eaten will bring the eater eternal life. Blake does this to create even more reinforcement to the fact that he is playing the part of the serpent. A Poison Tree. Blake was fearful of his actions that would ultimately produce a “poison tree” that could entice and inflict pain on his enemy. There is a touch of irony, however, in that the poem ends with the speaker’s gladness over his foe’s death by poison. Some knowledge of the Bible is in order to accomplish this. This stanza is completely centered on the tree that the “foe” would later steal an apple from.  Night and morning with my tears, There is still not enough evidence to make a convincing case either way. The stanza reads, “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” (Songs of Experience Pg.38). ”A Poison Tree” was published in William Blake’s 1794 poetry collection entitled Songs of Experience. The night covered or veiled Blakes garden and allowed the enemy to steal the tree. Gordon, Todd. Would you like to have an original essay? Not affiliated with Harvard College. No final line refutes the secret nurturing of wrath, and in fact, the poem may be read as a guide for taking vengeance upon one’s enemies. You can order our professional work here. View our essays for Songs of Innocence and of Experience…, Introduction to Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Songs of Innocence and of Experience Bibliography, View the lesson plan for Songs of Innocence and of Experience…, Read the E-Text for Songs of Innocence and of Experience…, View Wikipedia Entries for Songs of Innocence and of Experience…. How do Keats and Blake reflect romantic values in their poetry? The sky is blue but one can make out that with such nice environment, it gives evidence to the fact that conditions are such that a tree should flourish; however the tree that the man lies under is dead. Blakes “wrath” was accompanied with “fear.” Fear from what? Blake represents his own poison tree and contrasting that to the real world. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the poems in Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve by telling her that she would be wise and know the difference between good and evil if she ate the fruit off the tree. A Poison Tree” is the ideal poem for Blakes Songs of Experience. Is the tree a representation of the tree of good and evil, the tree of life, or neither? And I watered it in fears Night and morning with my tears, And I sunned it with smiles And with soft In choosing a poem from the English Romanticism era, I found one that particularly stands among others. The obvious moral of this poem is that hidden wrath becomes more dangerous behind the deceit that hides it from its object.  and he knew that it was mine, -- Critically comment on the role of the narrator in London. The first stanza juxtaposes the idea of friend and foe in a rather elegant way. As the title of the collection suggests, “A Poison Tree” delves into the darker side of the human mind, addressing the catastrophic results of suppressed anger. Evidence for Blakes reference to this tree is not indisputable, however Blake was ultimately referring to the tree of good and evil because, as in the first stanza, the poem revolves around good and evil, “friend” and “foe.”. And with soft deceitful wiles. The third stanza reads, “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” (Songs of Experience Pg. A Poison Tree” is the ideal poem for Blakes Songs of Experience.  I told it not, my wrath did grow. One can assume that Blakes fear stems for his actions in lines 6-9; “Night & morning with my tears:/ And I sunned it with smiles./ And with soft deceitful wiles” (Songs of Experience Pg.39). The Songs of Innocence and Experience deal with different types of love. Choose your writer among 300 professionals! I told it not, my wrath did grow. The problem is that death does not directly come from eating off the tree of good and evil. Here the prophetic voice of the Bard returns to decry the... Blake's visions have been interpreted as: Blake's visions have often been interpreted as "spiritual visions". The next morning the speaker is glad to see his “foe outstretch’d beneath the tree.”. This is only a short answer space but I can make a general comment. Songs of Experience: A Poison Tree I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. Our writers will handle essay of any difficulty in no time. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. Evidence of this can be seen in third stanza.  I told my wrath, my wrath did end.  And into my garden stole Although Blake uses “A Poison Tree” to point out the lack of self-control and restraint in man, he also shows the tempter, the serpent, with a conscious, which differs from the Bible greatly.  My foe outstretched beneath the tree. Do not miss your deadline waiting for inspiration! The original title of the poem is "Christian Forbearance", and was placed as number 10 in the Rossetti manuscript, printed on a plate illustrated by a corpse under a barren tree. This includes light and abandons everything else. Blake may have been making a point on the ability to take for granted the sacrifice Christ made in dying for our sins. How is the poem for the poison tree a song of experience The poem comes out of the pain of experience. The contrast in actions relating to a “friend” in distinction to a “foe,” is the relevant theme in this stanza. Possibly, the “Friend” mentioned in the first stanza is a friend simply because the speaker respects him enough to voice his anger face to face, whereas the “enemy” may be a potential friend who remains an enemy because the speaker keeps his wrath secret and nurtures it. Songs of Innocence and of Experience study guide contains a biography of William Blake, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.