A Poison Tree by William Blake — Poetry Reading

A Poison Tree | William Blake

    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 watered it in fears
    Night and 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 veiled the pole;
    In the morning, glad, I see
    My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

Photo: Erico Marcelino

[lizlikes]

One of my favorites, from literature class in college 👏🏼

[Kandhaiyahishu]

It was very easy to understand the poem with illustrations . This poem talk about Anger .it's sends an intellectual aggressive message. Genius 👍

[Peacebeuponusall]

Stanza by Stanza Explanation
First Stanza: The speaker discusses two different reactions to anger. When angry with a friend, they express their anger, and it dissipates. However, when angry with a foe, they suppress their anger, causing it to grow.

Second Stanza: The speaker tends to their anger like a plant, nurturing it with fears, tears, and deceitful behavior. This cultivation allows the anger to flourish.

Third Stanza: The anger grows continuously, eventually producing a bright, enticing apple. The foe, recognizing the apple as belonging to the speaker, is drawn to it.

Fourth Stanza: Under the cover of night, the foe sneaks into the speaker's garden to steal the apple. The next morning, the speaker finds their foe lying dead beneath the tree, indicating that the consumed apple was poisonous.

Themes:
Repression of Emotions: Suppressed anger grows and becomes more dangerous.

Deception: Deceptive behavior is used to hide true feelings, leading to harmful outcomes.

Consequences: Unresolved anger can have destructive effects on both the individual harboring it and others.

Blake's poem serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of nurturing negative emotions and the potential harm they can cause. It underscores the importance of addressing and expressing anger rather than allowing it to fester.

[courtneystevens]

Anyone else find out about this poem from Devil May Cry 5?

[r.warmerdam]

who’s coming from peaky blinders miquelon scene?

[keithallen]

I’m intrigued the Blake after watching Dead Man

[Averieplayz-]

Whos here in 2024 i came here bc my teacher assigned me to do this poem

[TheBBoyPain]

Is this done in British accent? I can`t tell

[PeerUsenk]

Anyone knows, who is the reader in this video?

[gnotnats]

I think poem is logically confusing in its needing and doesn’t have much real world application, especially not for the contemporary world. Obviously well written and clever, but in the end anger wins? I don’t understand the real world application of how wearing your anger openly on your sleeve will somehow eventually leave your enemy dead/defeated. Anger blinds us and is an embarrassment for its obviousness makes it easy for others to maneuver/manipulate
Anger can be useful to explore but is not itself a tool unless you’re in a short-term struggle, especially a physical struggle.

[josephlama]

Didn't see that ending coming, dark.

[theclashcalling_]

A GTBATQ track - clearly Damon is a fan..

[whoevencares-rzej]

People keep telling me to die like it’s an invitation. They’re not even trying to pretend I will live as in the garden of Eden.

I believe in standing on the shoulders of giants and heeding the wisdom of the ages, the ancients, and the Ancient of Days…

I’m not interested in your poison tree 🕊❤️✝️

[AndrewBalkaran-rq]

Real ones are here from dmc V not gay blinders