Angry
A poison tree
I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I waterd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright;
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,
And into my garden stole,
When the night had veild the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My foe outstretchd beneath the tree.
William Blake
William Blake (1757-1827) published this poem in Songs of Experience (1794), a companion volume to his earlier collection, Songs of Innocence (1789). The poison tree of the title references the book of Genesis in the Bible, which tells of mankind’s fall from innocence. Eve, tempted by the serpent, stole the apple from the forbidden tree of knowledge and persuaded Adam to eat it with her. The result was expulsion from Eden and the coming of sin and death. Both anger and envy are included in the seven deadly sins in Christian tradition – so this is a story of sin leading directly to death.
