The Sick Rose

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The Sick Rose (commonly referred to as O Rose, thou art sick) is a poem by William Blake, published in Songs of Experience in 1794.

[edit] Text of the poem

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.

[edit] Themes

The poem shares the common motifs of death and destruction in the collection, telling of a rose that has reached the end of its lifespan in the advent of the creeping winter.

There are many references to the darker side of human nature in this poem, and the death resulting from it. The rose is slowly dismantled by a number of factors— the "invisible worm" and the "howling storm" in which the rose doesn't stand a chance. The "crimson joy" is perhaps the strongest link to human death, referring to a lust for blood. This poem has also been interpreted by scholars as an apology for the sounds of merryment from "The Rose" public house on Blake's street of residence. The "Invisible worm" refers to the noise that moves through walls and flies through the night "in the howling storm" and how this noise pollution "does thy life destroy" if it has "found out thy bed"

The poem may also be referring to the state of England during the Industrial Revolution; it is being destroyed by the Revolution growing upon its shores.

The "crimson joy" could be a symbol of passion and love.

Alternatively the poem may suggest that all beauty is susceptible to destruction or itself has the power to destroy. It is a reminder that there is a good and evil side to all things - love can be both joyful and painful, and all life is proceeded by death.

Another interpretation is that the poem uses a garden as a metaphor for life and relationships. Throughout the poem there is the sense that a relationship that was once full of love and joy is now 'sick' and the 'worm' is an excellent metaphor to express this.

A garden is a symbol of beauty and peace, much like a loving relationship. However there will always be the worms in the garden that seek to destroy it and sadly, sometimes do. Using this metaphor in terms of the relationship it can be interpreted that this poem revolves around the heartbreak that is caused by one person in the relationship taking that step of betrayal and cheating on the one they are with. The poem metaphorically expresses the feelings that arise in a situation like that.