The poem
The Sun does arise, And make happy the skies. The merry bells ring, To welcome the Spring. The sky-lark and thrush, The birds of the bush, Sing louder around, To the bells cheerful sound. While our sports shall be seen On the Echoing Green.
Old John, with white hair Does laugh away care, Sitting under the oak, Among the old folk. They laugh at our play, And soon they all say, Such such were the joys When we all girls & boys. In our youth time were seen, On the Echoing Green.
Till the little ones weary No more can be merry The sun does descend, And our sports have an end: Round the laps of their mothers. Many sisters and brothers, Like birds in their nest. Are ready for rest; And sport no more seen, On the darkening Green.
i think this poem is not only about the children having a long day at play and the sun finally setting on a long day, but about living your life to the fullest and the sun setting on your life
i loved it
I think this a lovely poem about life. It expresses that not only the young can enjoy playing in the sun but the older generation can too, whilst reminising about their child hood. xxxx
the poem shows the songs of innocence view..as seen fromm a childs perspective..blake might be telling us that this is how we should be living our lives
This poem sounds nice, it's meant to. The closing scene of darkness is not death, but encroaching age. Blake creates a cyclical poem, but it's somewhat ironic because in the rest of his Songs of Innocence and Experience he explains how both the Puritanical and 'Enlightenment' mindsets obstruct peaceful liberty.
I think the poem is trying to reach out to people. During Blake's years living conditions were really hard, with a lot of poverty. I think in this poem, Blake suggests the ideal life that could be lived with the right opportunities. It has a very light and care-free mood until the last stanza, which becomes slightly sinister perhaps suggesting that as the night comes and the Sun sets, so does corruption and maybe even a threat on his beautiful homeland.
Overall I enjoyed reading the imagery of nature and symbolism of innocence.
This poem coinsides with The Garden of Love. I am taking a romantic Poetry Course and this poem does indeed mean death is ahead. Blake explains how they sit with Jon with under the oak and it's from his point of view as a child however if you read The Garden of Love you will soon see it is his point of view when he is old and he is at the green land that has now become a graveyard of dead friends. any questions feel free to e-mail me.
this poem is a metaphorical representation of blakes inner most desire to remain in the world of innocence for a prolonged period of time. there is the religious conotations and layers of historical background to the poem, which highlight blakes thoughts and emotions to his childhood memories. its amazing init bo!!!!!
I don't think that the last stanza is sinister in nature. At the start of the poem we are introduced to the beginning of the day, "The sun does arise." This then develops into the natural cycle of morning to night, at the end, "On the darkening green." Within the poem there is also another natural cycle - age, childhood to adulthood. Blake could be illustrating nature in terms of these natural cycles and with this, suggesting that we should all stay in one place (therefore arguing against the industrial revolution). Morning to night, childhood to adulthood in the same place.
Poems are my least favourite forms of self expressions and 'the echoing green' has only consolidated this felling.
I have enjoyed reading all of the comments posted! Blake's poetry has so many layers, that the fun is in pulling out the meanings. To begin, just the title, "The Ecchoing Green" gives a sense of repetition, of something that is faintly heard or seen as time/space expands. The usage of the old folks as images and recollections, as in stanza 2, gives further credence of a past (or a flashback) feeling. Sounds come for…
Read the whole commentI have enjoyed reading all of the comments posted! Blake's poetry has so many layers, that the fun is in pulling out the meanings. To begin, just the title, "The Ecchoing Green" gives a sense of repetition, of something that is faintly heard or seen as time/space expands. The usage of the old folks as images and recollections, as in stanza 2, gives further credence of a past (or a flashback) feeling.
Sounds come for the voices of nature, the children and adults, and the bells. There is a strong bond between the family members (lines25-26). Note there is no sound of machines; no intrusion from clergy; no postings around. Everyone just enjoys themselves with harmless fun and remembrances of how things were. The older ones really enjoy watching the children playing. When it is time to go, everyone leaves together. There is no indication of crime or danger. The only thing left is the darkening Green.
If Blake means for this to be a flip side of "The Garden of Love", then he has done a great job! The stage has been set--and this poem could serve as a type of prologue (to borrow Shakespeare's technique a moment). The stage has been set for the image of innocence--a world, a small community, where all ages are present.The church still has a cheerful ring to those at the Green, and there is space for people to relax, to unite, and to enjoy a life without imposed rules. There is no clear narrator, since there are subtle shifts. Line 15 states "they laugh at our play", which refers to the old folks. Line 24 indicated that when the little ones weary, then the sports and being at the Green ends. No clear voice or narrator calls attention to this fact.
One last thing to point out. On the Ecchoing Green is repeated three times, as a title, line 10 and line 20. Blake then changes it to the darkening Green, line 30. Um. It is changing. Like an echo. Subtle change. Thus, sadness may be shifting the once idyllic lifestyle.
I would have to agree that this poem does have a certain forboding nature to it. During his time, there were many problems with the government and belief that the Church of England was corrupt. This gives the sense of nostalgia for a past of 'good,' or if anything, what could have been an ideal past, if not for the corruption of higher powers on the people. With the setting of the sun, it can be seen a tyranny falling down upon this innocent land, thus darkening it. I would see this poem, although indirect, as connected in terms of these ideas to Wordsworth's -London, 1802- and and Shelly's - Sonnet: England in 1819-.