A POISON TREE BY WILLIAM BLAKE

In the morning ---------- beneath the tree.

REFERENCE

(i) Poem: A Poison Tree

(ii) Poet: William Blake

CONTEXT

(i) Occurrence: Lines 15-16/16

(ii) Content: In this poem the poet describes the development and effects of anger. Once the poet becomes angry with his foe and bottles up his wrath. This hatred becomes a tree which bears a poisonous apple. His enemy eats this apple and dies there and then.

EXPLANATION

     In these lines the poet says that triumph always gives happiness and satisfaction. Death is an occasion for grief but for the poet it turns out to be an occasion for joy because his hatred has won at the cost of his enemy's death. The poet had, in fact, planted a tree of hatred for his enemy. This tree bore a bright but poisonous apple. His enemy was tempted to eat it like Eve was tempted to eat the apple in Paradise. At last his enemy ate it stealthily at night and died there and then. When the poet went to his garden in the morning, his joy knew no bounds because his enemy was no more than a rigor mortis, lying on the ground beneath the tree.

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