Comment 18 of 18, 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 16 of 18, added on July 19th, 2006 at 6:44 PM.

Fantastic comments!
This is a disturbing poem on many levels. First, why a garden of love? Why not just a garden? Perhaps Blake wants the reader to understand that a garden, or a public green space, is many things to many people.
The person speaking had to have been gone in order for a chapel (or church) to be fully built at the site. So, I take it that this person was revisiting the area in which his memory is being assulted first by a building where once was an open space (Like Central Park or Mount Royale) that people and families enjoyed with abandon. As he adjusts to the first change, he notices yet more,disturbing changes. The assult to his senses overwhelm him: the locked gate, the negative posting, graves and tombstones, and priests doing their rounds!
This poem does not hold back! The changes are too blatant. Priests doing rounds behind locked gates--with tombstones as their companions! The living are locked out during the ritual. My. One could say the priests were guilty of "dead practices".
Historically, churches such as this one also locked out their poorer congregants by charging fees for seating.
So, not only was the Green space invaded, but further insult was heaped onto the working and lower class people. The church was busy locking out the people, putting on a show "walking their rounds" and enforcing rigid rules.
I like to think that "The Little Vagabond" should be read with this poem. Just the first line from this poem goes so well: "Dear Mother, dear Mother, the Church is cold".
If reading this poem with "The Ecchoing Green", note that there is no sound of the church bells, no happy sounds from nature...no sound at all.

dallas from United States

Comment 14 of 18, added on April 12th, 2006 at 7:04 AM.

I have had to read 'The Garden of Love' for my yr 11 GCSE C19th Love poem essay, I have to say from first reading it I was so confused about its meaning - after reading it again more closely I thought I understood what the poem was symbolising. From reading all your ideas I felt slightly naive, I recognised the chapel representing the church etc and that the whole poem was very anti love but I didn’t read the poem as Blake voicing how the church prevents a deeper relationship with God.
From reading the poem I thought that it was expressing a man and a woman's love- a romance story in the Garden with the 'sweet flowers' and where Love ruled. In the start of the poem the Garden is described beautifully – showing how the man felt for the woman. The Chapel represented marriage and the progress of his relationship with his partner. The fact that the Chapel gates were shut could show the limitations of marriage and the woman’s doubts in proceeding with the ceremony as she shared the views of Blake.
"Thou shalt not," which was written over the door symbolised the woman turning him down in marriage - then the Garden turns into a place of hatred and death, "tombstones" "black gowns" – showing the mans rejection.
I feel that the Garden represents the man's emotions so when he was in love it was in full bloom, once he felt rejection the Garden changed, with the main focus as the church, showing how when marriage goes wrong people blame the bond that legally held them together thus loosing faith which leads to loosing love.
So basically I thought the poem was about a man being rejected by the love of his life in his proposal of marriage – but I doubt this is even close, as I am only 16 – I am not as broad minded as I would like, if you could comment on my idea so that I can gain some more knowledge on the poem before I write a load of rubbish in my essay thanks for listening!


Samantha from United Kingdom

Comment 12 of 18, added on December 8th, 2005 at 2:22 AM.

Oh boy. Let me try to make a stand for the U.S. here. The following is a short critical response on the last stanza, which I had to write as part of a British Literature exam.

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In this passage from Blake’s “The Garden of Love,” the speaker describes in a dark and foreboding tone how the garden he once enjoyed as a playground has become a dismal and depressive graveyard. The last two lines of the stanza are particularly important in their use of two key terms – “priest” and “binding.” These two words together suggest the limitations organized religion places on pleasurable experiences and the development of a deeply personal relationship with God. The word “binding” can also refer to Blake’s belief in the limitations of the senses. Blake believed that perception based only on empirical observations made by the senses was restrictive. Consequently, exercising imagination to see beyond the empirical was profoundly emancipatory. The anaphora contributes to the feeling of anxiety within the poem. The repetition of the word “And” allows the reader to hear the speaker spouting out the multiple ways in which his enjoyment is being restricted, seeming as though he will begin ranting at any moment.

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I think it's also important to remember that literary analysis is an acquired skill. Ridicule is what often turns people away from attempting any sort of deeper involvement with the text, which, as literature lovers know, can be quite fascinating!

Phoebe from United States

Comment 10 of 18, added on October 10th, 2005 at 3:46 PM.

I agree with most of the views from Scarlett, but I think it's important to compare this poem to "The Echoing Green" in Blake’s Songs on Innocence. The comparison is pretty simple, "The Echoing green" suggests an ideal life that could be lived if the opportunities were there and "The garden of Love" symbolises adulthood. This person comes back to his childhood place, which was full of joy, nature and sport to find that there is now a closed chapel. It literally cries out the corruption of religious institutions. Religion and the church in general is suppose to be a place of hope, belief and goodness, but during Blake's years it was pretty much the opposite. Everyone was living a terrible life in poverty and the chucrh, which has always been the richest establishment, was trying to impose rules on society.
Overall I think the poem is full of dark imagery with deep meanings.


Vanja from United Kingdom