The Sick-Rose
Writer: William Blake.Published/Collection: Songs of Experience (1794).
Lines & Stanza: 8 lines, divided into two quatrains.
Rhyme Scheme: ABCB DEF E (sick/storm, bed/love).
Rhythm/Meter: Largely trochaic (stressed-unstressed), creating a haunting, chanting tone.
Full 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.
The poet directly addresses the rose and declares that it is sick. The rose symbolizes beauty, love, or innocence. The sickness suggests moral or emotional corruption rather than physical illness.
Line 2: “The invisible worm”
The cause of the rose’s sickness is an “invisible worm.” This worm represents a hidden destructive force such as jealousy, lust, repression, or secret sin.
Line 3: “That flies in the night,”
The worm moves at night, which symbolizes secrecy, darkness, and hidden actions. Night suggests immoral acts that take place away from public view.
Line 4: “In the howling storm:”
The storm represents emotional turmoil, conflict, or chaos. The worm thrives in violent and disturbed conditions.
Line 5: “Has found out thy bed”
The “bed” symbolizes the most intimate and private part of the rose. It suggests vulnerability and intimacy, often interpreted as sexual or emotional closeness.
Line 6: “Of crimson joy:”
“Crimson joy” refers to passion, love, and vitality. The color crimson suggests strong emotion and possibly sexual desire.
Line 7: “And his dark secret love”
The worm’s love is described as dark and secret, meaning it is hidden, immoral, or unhealthy. This line suggests love that destroys rather than nurtures.
Line 8: “Does thy life destroy.”
The final line explains the result: the rose’s life is destroyed. Hidden corruption and destructive love ultimately lead to ruin and death.
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.
The Sick Rose – Line-by-Line Explanation
Line 1: “O Rose, thou art sick!”The poet directly addresses the rose and declares that it is sick. The rose symbolizes beauty, love, or innocence. The sickness suggests moral or emotional corruption rather than physical illness.
Line 2: “The invisible worm”
The cause of the rose’s sickness is an “invisible worm.” This worm represents a hidden destructive force such as jealousy, lust, repression, or secret sin.
Line 3: “That flies in the night,”
The worm moves at night, which symbolizes secrecy, darkness, and hidden actions. Night suggests immoral acts that take place away from public view.
Line 4: “In the howling storm:”
The storm represents emotional turmoil, conflict, or chaos. The worm thrives in violent and disturbed conditions.
Line 5: “Has found out thy bed”
The “bed” symbolizes the most intimate and private part of the rose. It suggests vulnerability and intimacy, often interpreted as sexual or emotional closeness.
Line 6: “Of crimson joy:”
“Crimson joy” refers to passion, love, and vitality. The color crimson suggests strong emotion and possibly sexual desire.
Line 7: “And his dark secret love”
The worm’s love is described as dark and secret, meaning it is hidden, immoral, or unhealthy. This line suggests love that destroys rather than nurtures.
Line 8: “Does thy life destroy.”
The final line explains the result: the rose’s life is destroyed. Hidden corruption and destructive love ultimately lead to ruin and death.
The Sick-Rose poem questions and answers.
Summary
The poem begins with the poet addressing a rose and saying that it is sick. The rose is a symbol of beauty, love, innocence, and purity. Normally, a rose represents joy and freshness, but here the rose is ill, which immediately creates a sad and dark mood. The sickness of the rose suggests that something has gone wrong in love or life.In the next lines, Blake introduces an “invisible worm.” This worm flies at night during a storm. The worm is unseen, which means the danger is hidden and secret. It represents destructive forces such as lust, jealousy, betrayal, or moral corruption. Because the worm is invisible, the rose does not realize what is harming it. This suggests that many times people are destroyed not by open enemies but by hidden evils.
The stormy night creates a threatening atmosphere. Night often symbolizes secrecy and sin, while storms suggest emotional disturbance and chaos. The worm travels secretly in this dark environment, showing that evil works silently and patiently.
The worm then finds the “crimson joy” of the rose. The phrase “crimson joy” refers to passion and deep emotional love. Crimson is the color of blood and intense feeling, often connected with desire. This shows that the worm attacks the rose at its most sensitive and precious part—its love and emotional core.
Finally, Blake says that the worm’s “dark secret love” destroys the life of the rose. This line is very important. The love of the worm is not pure or healthy; it is dark and secret. This kind of love harms instead of healing. It slowly kills the rose from the inside. The destruction is quiet but complete.
Through this poem, Blake suggests that secret or immoral love can destroy innocence and purity. The poem can be interpreted in many ways—about unhealthy relationships, repression of natural feelings, or the destructive effects of hypocrisy in society. It may also reflect Blake’s criticism of strict moral laws that force people to hide their desires, which then turn harmful.
In conclusion, “The Sick Rose” shows how hidden evil, secrecy, and corrupt love can destroy beauty and life. Even though the poem is very short, it leaves a strong impact on the reader and teaches an important moral lesson about honesty, love, and inner purity.
Theme
The main theme of William Blake’s poem The Sick Rose is hidden corruption and destructive love. Though the poem is very short, it carries deep meaning about human emotions, especially love, desire, and moral decay.
In the poem, the rose symbolizes love, beauty, and innocence. Normally, a rose represents purity and natural beauty. However, in this poem, the rose is described as “sick,” which suggests that something has gone wrong. This sickness is not physical but emotional and moral. Blake shows that even the most beautiful things in life can be destroyed from within.
Another important theme of the poem is secret and sinful desire. The “invisible worm” represents hidden lust or immoral passion. It moves secretly “in the night,” which suggests darkness, secrecy, and sin. The worm’s invisibility shows that the cause of destruction is not easily seen or recognized. This reflects how harmful desires often grow silently inside the human heart.
The poem also highlights the theme of destruction caused by repression. Blake belonged to the Romantic age, where poets believed that suppressing natural emotions leads to suffering. In The Sick Rose, love is not openly expressed; instead, it becomes secretive and selfish. As a result, it destroys both the lover and the beloved. The worm’s “dark secret love” ultimately kills the rose’s life.
Another key theme is the loss of innocence. The rose, once pure and alive, is now dying. This shows how innocence can be corrupted by experience, betrayal, or uncontrolled desire. Blake often explored this idea in his works, especially in Songs of Innocence and Experience. The Sick Rose clearly belongs to the world of experience, where pain and corruption replace purity.
The poem also reflects social and moral criticism. Blake may be criticizing society’s rigid moral rules that force people to hide their emotions. Such suppression creates inner conflict and moral decay. The sickness of the rose can also represent the sickness of society, where relationships are damaged by hypocrisy and secrecy.
In conclusion, The Sick Rose deals with themes of corrupt love, hidden desire, moral decay, and loss of innocence. Blake uses powerful symbols to show how unseen forces can destroy beauty and life. The poem teaches that love must be honest and pure; otherwise, it becomes destructive. Despite its simplicity, the poem presents a deep and universal message about human emotions and relationships.