The Sick Rose
love
death
lyric poem
dark
O Rose, thou art sick! The invisible worm That flies in the night, In the howling storm, Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy: And his dark secret love Does thy life destroy.
The Sick Rose - context Summary
Composed in 1794
Published in 1794 within Songs of Experience, Blake’s short lyric compresses his bleak view of human vulnerability into a single emblem: a rose corrupted by an 'invisible worm.' The poem frames intimacy and destruction as linked, suggesting secretive, eros-driven decay that undermines beauty and life. It functions as a moral and spiritual fable in Blake’s wider exploration of love, innocence lost, and the darker forces at work in human affairs.
Read Complete Analyses
Feel free to be first to leave comment.