The Echoing Green
By William Blake
The sun does arise,
And make happy the skies.
The merry bells ring
To welcome the Spring.
The sky-lark and thrush,
The birds of the bush,
Sing louder around,
To the bells’ cheerful sound.
While our sports shall be seen
On the Ecchoing Green.Old John, with white hair
Does laugh away care,
Sitting under the oak,
Among the old folk,
They laugh at our play,
And soon they all say.
‘Such, such were the joys.
When we all girls & boys,
In our youth-time were seen,
On the Ecchoing Green.’Till the little ones weary
No more can be merry
The sun does descend,
And our sports have an end:
Round the laps of their mothers,
Many sisters and brothers,
Like birds in their nest,
Are ready for rest;
And sport no more seen,
On the darkening Green.
Summary of The Echoing Green
- Popularity of “The Echoing Green”: Written by William Blake, a great English romantic poem, this beautiful poem first appeared in 1789 and was later included in Songs of Innocence. It set the stage for Blake to write about innocence, specifically, during childhood. This poem is a perfect piece in this strain which not only describes but also demonstrates this aspect of childhood. Its popularity rests on this blend of description and demonstration of childhood activities.
- “The Echoing Green” As a Representative Childhood Innocence: Although the poem has three parts, all have the same childhood activities, which evince excitement, thrill, and laughter. The first stanza presents the morning when the children are happy with everything else bubbling with the same happiness on that green field. This happiness echoes with the sounds of larks, thrushes, and bells to welcome the season of spring. The second stanza shows the adults and old fellows enjoying the activities of the children and recalling their own childhood. However, the last stanza shows the time of evening when all are weary and tired. That is why they seek comfort in the laps of their mothers. This is how the echoing green turns into a darkening green when the evening arrives, and the activities of the children come to an end.
- Major Themes in “The Echoing Green”: Childhood innocence, childhood activities, and springtime child-like happiness are the major themes of this poem “The Echoing Green.” However, the poem presents three different scenes having the same unifying idea. The main idea lies in the activities of the children that demonstrate the arrival of spring in that green area. That is why it echoes the sounds of different birds, creatures, and even bells, showing how children used to enjoy their childhood. However, when old people come and see these games, they also start enjoying themselves by recalling their own childhood. This leads to the evening time when little ones, weary and tired, seek the laps of their mothers to take rest. Their activities resemble that of the birds, which seek comfort in their nests. Then the sports come to an end.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Echoing Green
William Blake demonstrated his skill of using various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of this poem. Some of the major literary devices are as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “And make happy the skies” and the sound of /o/ in “Sing louder around.”
- Alliteration: It means to use initial consonant sounds in two or more consecutive words. The poem shows the use of alliteration, such as the sound of /w/ in “with white” and /d/ in “does descend.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /m/ and /n/ in “No more can be merry” and the sound of /s/ and /r/ in “Many sisters and brothers.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. William Blake used imagery in this poem, such as “The birds of the bush”, “To the bells’ cheerful sound” and “Does laugh away care.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used the metaphor of old John showing the old people of the village of the place.
- Personification: It means to attribute human emotions to inanimate objects. The poet used the personification of the sun or the bells showing as if they have life and emotions of their own.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as morning, evening, Spring, sky-lark, thrush, sports, and old folk to show the innocence of childhood and its exciting period.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Echoing Green
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal and poetic diction.
- End Rhyme: It means to use verses having matching end words. William Blake shows the use of end rhyme, such as arise/skies, sing/Spring, and thrush/bush.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem shows the rhyme scheme of AABBCCDDEE in the first stanza, and it continues in the rest of the two.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three stanzas, each comprising ten verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a loving, exciting, thrilling, and enjoyable tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when talking about the joys of childhood and that period.
Old John, with white hair
Does laugh away care,
Sitting under the oak,
Among the old folk,
They laugh at our play,
And soon they all say.
‘Such, such were the joys.
When we all girls & boys,
In our youth-time were seen,
On the Ecchoing Green.’
