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Poet: William Blake
Poem: The Garden Of Love
Volume: Songs of Experience
Year: Published/Written in 1789
Poem of the Day on:
Mar 4 2004
Comment 19 of 19, added on January 10th, 2009 at 2:34 PM.
I believe this poem is being misinterpreted-primarily because the poem listed is missing the first half. The entirity of this poem includes two stanzas unlisted here. They read as follows:
I laid me down upon a bank,
Where Love lay sleeping;
I heard among the rushes dank
Weeping, weeping.
Then I went to the heath and the wild,
To the thistles and thorns of the waste;
And they told me how they were beguiled,
Driven out, and compelled to the chaste.
The sole basis of this poem contrasts the original garden of love with the garden of love the narrator finds later.
The original garden of love was free-anything was possible. Meaning, anybody could love anybody, and any body could love anything. The garden was open to all, without discrimination or biguilding.
The garden of love that the narrator finds later is altered in more than once way. First, the garden is no longer a green pasture open for wandering. It now contains a chapel. The chapel doors are shut, implying that nobody can actually see whats in side. Parallelling this, many evangelical leaders do not allow their followers to view texts of biblical literature, rather they are told by their leader what to believe and what biblical texts supposedly say. Neither can look inside to see for themselves. Second, the fact that thistles and thorns of the waste were biguilded and driven out to the chaste implies that with the implimintation of both the chapel and the pastor and briar that people were expelled from the garden of love. NOT EVERYONE IS ALLOWED TO LOVE in the new garden occupied by the church. Third, the garden once filled with blossoming flowers, love, is now filled with graves and tombstones representing the excommunication of those individuals biguilded and compelled to the chaste. CHASTE is key here-it is defined as refraining from sexual intercourse that is regarded as contrary to morality or religion. Therefore, the graves represent what the garden of love used to be-open. It now can only be used by people who coincide with religious beliefs of the imposed chapel. Fourth, the pastor and briar are binding the narrator's joys and desires. The church is telling people what they can desire.
Analysis of Interpretation-the basis of this poem boils down to church declaring restrictions on love. This poem is an advocate for lesbian gay and bisexual love. The garden of love was created, love IS FOR, EVERYONE. Once religion steps in, however, only certain individuals have the right to love. William Blake was a revolutionary man, and a revolutionary activist.
Taylor
Comment 18 of 19, added on January 24th, 2007 at 2:48 PM.
I am interested in the connection between the Garden (which I beleive could represent Eden and the original ideals of religion) and the imposing chapel. Could it be that Blake sees religion as a means to opposing its own values? I agree strongly with the suggestions that this poem attacks the way in which religion is practiced. To me, it seems Blake wants the reader to realise that religion has been contaminated by humanity.
Sarah from United Kingdom
Comment 17 of 19, added on July 25th, 2006 at 7:29 PM.
I simply dont understand where the idea of achieving a deeper relationship with god fits into this poem. The poem is obviously about religion restricting his joys and desires but it seems hard to accept that his joys and desires is meant to imply his relationship with god.
Benjamin from Australia
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I believe this poem is being misinterpreted-primarily because the poem listed is missing the first half. The entirity of this poem includes two stanzas unlisted here. They read as follows:
I laid me down upon a bank,
Where Love lay sleeping;
I heard among the rushes dank
Weeping, weeping.
Then I went to the heath and the wild,
To the thistles and thorns of the waste;
And they told me how they were beguiled,
Driven out, and compelled to the chaste.
The sole basis of this poem contrasts the original garden of love with the garden of love the narrator finds later.
The original garden of love was free-anything was possible. Meaning, anybody could love anybody, and any body could love anything. The garden was open to all, without discrimination or biguilding.
The garden of love that the narrator finds later is altered in more than once way. First, the garden is no longer a green pasture open for wandering. It now contains a chapel. The chapel doors are shut, implying that nobody can actually see whats in side. Parallelling this, many evangelical leaders do not allow their followers to view texts of biblical literature, rather they are told by their leader what to believe and what biblical texts supposedly say. Neither can look inside to see for themselves. Second, the fact that thistles and thorns of the waste were biguilded and driven out to the chaste implies that with the implimintation of both the chapel and the pastor and briar that people were expelled from the garden of love. NOT EVERYONE IS ALLOWED TO LOVE in the new garden occupied by the church. Third, the garden once filled with blossoming flowers, love, is now filled with graves and tombstones representing the excommunication of those individuals biguilded and compelled to the chaste. CHASTE is key here-it is defined as refraining from sexual intercourse that is regarded as contrary to morality or religion. Therefore, the graves represent what the garden of love used to be-open. It now can only be used by people who coincide with religious beliefs of the imposed chapel. Fourth, the pastor and briar are binding the narrator's joys and desires. The church is telling people what they can desire.
Analysis of Interpretation-the basis of this poem boils down to church declaring restrictions on love. This poem is an advocate for lesbian gay and bisexual love. The garden of love was created, love IS FOR, EVERYONE. Once religion steps in, however, only certain individuals have the right to love. William Blake was a revolutionary man, and a revolutionary activist.
Taylor