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Joe's Cafe, 24/7 pit stop for ESL learners and teachers | December 2007
Egg's off, bacon's off, bread's off, tea's off. English is on though.
The Sick RoseO 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. William Blake 1757-1827 – So the question is: What is “the invisible worm that flies in the night”? Joe | Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 | Filed under Poetry
18 Responses to “The Sick Rose”Leave a Comment |  Personal blog of Josef Essberger, EnglishClub founder Browse by Category |
15th February 2008 at 10:55 am
It is AUTUMN and its wind. yes or no?
2nd May 2008 at 4:18 pm
I’m listening to the sound of a flute
Everyday at Subway Station.
It inspires in me both joy and sorrow at the same time
Today he is not there
I became weary and disheartened.
16th November 2008 at 4:09 pm
We find here an allusion to male-female relationship. She is a rose, and has “the bed of crimson joy”. And he is “the invisible worm”, flying “in the night”. It’s interesting that he, “the worm”, destroys the “sick” rose’s life, and his love is “dark secret”. Our English Literature lecturer told us about this poem, and we were really surprised that the poem alluded to defloration…
22nd March 2009 at 3:28 pm
“We are all worms, but I do believe that I am a glow worm”
Winston Churchill
7th April 2009 at 8:17 am
The invisible worm that flies in the night. I think
this could mean that he attack his victims at night
going around almost stalking them and talking them
back to…..
The howling storm is the act of sex.
The women howling from being…..
The bed of crimson joy.Is mean The actual bed where of the virgin has of blood.
Good Luck
Linda K (Hollywood)
20th June 2009 at 12:20 am
Those English literature professors always have their mind in the gutter… William Blake is simply talking about blight that damages his beautiful roses:
Botrytis infections (a type of blight) are favored by cool, rainy spring and summer weather usually around 15C (60F). Gray mold can be particularly damaging when rainy, drizzly weather continues over several days.
2nd August 2009 at 3:10 am
This my fav poem ever!!
18th December 2009 at 3:33 am
how can i listening
20th December 2009 at 5:23 pm
I have no home..
No money no car..
But I have everything..
Because I have a frined indeed..
In the dark night..
I have a light indeed..
I never be scared..
Because I have a true friend..
If the all people against me..
I never run away..
Because I have a real friend.
6th April 2010 at 2:44 pm
i think that its his soul
6th May 2010 at 10:58 am
how can
6th May 2010 at 11:02 am
A father and daughter relationship is supposed to be about togetherness, love and talking about your problems but some fathers are deadbeats dads who doesn’t care about thier daughters and don’t respect their ex wife and get a girlfriend and exspects his children to accept her but those children will die before they accept that woman who is destroying the fathers and daughters relationship is so bad how the father isn’t feel bad about what he did i should know it happened to me and i came out a little bit weaker because i couldn’t stand up to my father
15th November 2010 at 9:46 am
poems are very nice!
24th January 2011 at 10:14 am
invitation
27th March 2011 at 2:42 am
Hollywood’s comment is quite novel,and I like it!
27th April 2011 at 8:45 pm
Thank you for the short but unforgettable list of poems in english.I wish it was longer.
31st October 2011 at 9:06 am
The poem alludes to syphilis, it was, sadly, a very widespread disease in eighteenth century London with no cure until the discovery of penicillin in the twentieth century. Yes, the “crimson bed of joy” does indeed refer to the female sexual organs, whether we like it or not. Blake was very aware of the darker side of London life (”and so the youthful harlot’s curse/blasts the new-born infant’s tear/and blights with plagues the marriage hearse”); a true visionary in a rational age.
24th December 2012 at 1:21 pm
The poem begins with apostrophe “O ROSE” and he personifies it by calling it sick. At one level it’s about flowers and insects and how the worm spoil the beauty of flower. At another level the rose stands for beautiful women who are corrupted by illicit relationship. The form for this poem is two quatrains rhyme ABCB . it’s middle English language and taken from William Blacke “ song of Experience” . The them is anything is beautiful and its indulges in corruption brings ruin and death.
Figurative Speech :
O Rose : apostrophe
Art sick : personification ( addressing unloving thing to a living thing, the ability to be sick)
Worm : symbol for corruption .
Night: symbol for something hiding, secret and dark.
Howling storm : something bad .
Crimson joy: refer to both sexual pleasure and shame .