Welcome to Poem of the Day – The Wild Flower’s Song by William Blake.
William Blake’s The Wild Flower’s Song is a poem that vividly exemplifies the visionary nature of his work, blending beauty and simplicity with profound spiritual and philosophical themes. In this short, lyrical piece, Blake uses the figure of a wild flower to speak about themes of freedom, the natural world, and the transient nature of life. As with many of Blake’s works, this poem delves into both personal and universal concerns, employing a range of symbolic images to explore the relationship between humanity and the divine. Through the wild flower, Blake reflects on the broader themes of existence, mortality, and the human soul’s place in the world.
The Wild Flower’s Song is part of Blake’s Songs of Innocence (1789), a collection that emphasizes themes of purity, freedom, and the untainted experiences of childhood. While Blake’s Songs of Experience explores the darker aspects of life, Songs of Innocence evokes a sense of harmony with nature, innocence, and joy. In this essay, we will explore how Blake employs the figure of the wild flower as a symbol of innocence and freedom, and how the poem fits within the larger framework of Blake’s British poetry.
The Wild Flower’s Song Poem
As I wandered the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard a Wild Flower
Singing a song.
“I slept in the earth
In the silent night,
I murmured my fears
And I felt delight.
“In the morning I went
As rosy as morn,
To seek for new joy;
But oh! met with scorn.”
The Wild Flower’s Song Poem Explanation
The Wild Flower’s Song is a relatively brief, yet powerful, poem in which Blake uses the wild flower as a symbol for a natural, uncorrupted state of being. The poem consists of two short stanzas, written in simple and direct language. Despite its brevity, the poem encapsulates some of Blake’s most important thematic concerns, such as the relationship between humanity and nature, the fleeting nature of life, and the divine presence in the natural world. Blake’s use of nature in this poem speaks to the spiritual connection between human beings and the world around them.
In his poetry, Blake often draws on the idea of innocence as a state of purity and connection with the divine. In The Wild Flower’s Song, the wild flower represents a form of purity that is not tainted by human corruption. Through this symbol, Blake evokes a vision of freedom and a return to a simpler, more harmonious state of being.
Analysis of the Poem
The First Stanza: The Flower’s Song
Blake begins the poem with an image of the flower rising in the morning, a time of renewal and possibility. The mention of “summer morn” suggests a season of growth and vitality, where nature is in full bloom. The wild flower’s enjoyment of the morning signals its connection with the natural world, suggesting that it is in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
The song of the birds and the “distant huntsman” further emphasize the natural world as a source of joy and celebration. The huntsman’s horn, which typically signals pursuit, contrasts with the carefree singing of the skylark, symbolizing a freedom from human constraints. The wild flower’s song harmonizes with the skylark’s, illustrating its unbound and joyous existence. The flower’s song is not one of oppression or constraint, but one of pure, untainted enjoyment of life.
The use of natural imagery—the birds, the huntsman, and the skylark—underscores the theme of interconnectedness between all living things. The flower, part of the natural world, is not isolated but part of a broader ecosystem of life. This idea of harmony with nature is central to Blake’s vision of innocence, where human beings and the natural world exist in mutual respect and balance.
The Second Stanza: The Flower’s Reflection
Here, the wild flower speaks of its love for the shade of green trees, which suggests a sense of comfort and protection. Shade can symbolize a refuge from the harshness of life, but it also suggests an awareness of the transience of existence. The flower enjoys the shade, yet it is also aware of its own impermanence. The line “I know not how I am made” indicates the flower’s innocent acceptance of its existence, which is not bound by the need to understand its origin. The wild flower, like many of Blake’s symbols, exists in a state of grace and acceptance.
The final line, “But I feel that I am blessed,” further emphasizes the theme of innocence and spiritual connection. The flower, despite its inability to understand its creation, feels blessed by its mere existence. This aligns with Blake’s view of divine presence in the natural world, where all living things—whether they understand their purpose or not—are blessed by their connection to the divine. For Blake, nature is imbued with spiritual meaning, and the wild flower, though simple, is connected to a greater cosmic order.
Symbolism of the Wild Flower
The wild flower in the poem is rich in symbolic meaning. On one level, it can be seen as a symbol of innocence—untouched by human concerns or societal constraints. Unlike cultivated flowers, which are often shaped and controlled by human hands, the wild flower grows freely in nature, embodying purity and the natural state of being. It lives in the moment, unburdened by questions of its purpose or its origin, and finds joy in the simplest aspects of existence.
The wild flower also symbolizes the transient nature of life. Though it grows in the fullness of summer and enjoys the sunlight and shade, it is still subject to the cycles of nature. Its fleeting existence reminds the reader of the impermanence of all things—whether it is the flower’s life or the joy that it represents. Blake’s focus on the flower’s inability to understand its own creation reinforces this theme of impermanence. The flower does not know how it is made, nor does it need to. Its existence is enough in itself, and its beauty is derived from this simplicity.
Additionally, the wild flower represents the divine presence in nature. Throughout Blake’s work, nature is not simply a backdrop for human activity but a reflection of the divine order. The wild flower, in its pure and natural form, is a living testament to this divine presence. The idea that the flower “feels blessed” suggests a spiritual connection to a higher power, one that transcends the material world.
Conclusion
The Wild Flower’s Song is a simple yet profound meditation on the beauty of nature, the innocence of life, and the spiritual connection between all living things. Through the figure of the wild flower, Blake explores themes of freedom, impermanence, and the divine. The flower’s joy in its existence and its harmony with the natural world reflect Blake’s broader philosophical concerns with innocence and the untainted experience of life.
As a British poet, Blake’s work often bridged the realms of the mystical and the material, and The Wild Flower’s Song is no exception. The wild flower serves as a metaphor for innocence in its purest form, uncorrupted by the world and connected to the divine in ways that human beings often forget. The poem’s simplicity belies the depth of its message, offering a vision of life that is both spiritual and joyful in its acceptance of nature and its impermanence.
In Blake’s broader British poetry, nature is not just a source of beauty but a reflection of the divine order that governs the universe. The Wild Flower’s Song invites readers to reflect on their own connection to the natural world and to recognize the beauty in simplicity and in the fleeting moments of life. Through the flower’s song, Blake calls us to find joy in the present, to accept the mysteries of existence, and to feel blessed by the divine presence that infuses all things.
