To the Evening Star by William Blake
Thou fair-hair’d angel of the
evening,
Now, whilst the
sun rests on
the mountains,
light
Thy bright
torch of love; thy
radiant crown
Put on, and
smile upon
our evening bed!
Smile on our
loves, and
while thou drawest the
Blue curtains
of the sky,
scatter thy silver dew
on every flower that shuts its sweet eyes
In timely
sleep. Let thy west wind sleep on
The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes,
And wash the
dusk with silver. Soon, full soon,
Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide,
And the lion
glares thro’ the dun forest:
The fleeces of
our flocks are cover’d with
Thy sacred dew:
protect them with thine
influence.
William Blake,
He was born on 28
November in London 1757. He was an artist and poet; he is an influential figure
during the Romantic Era. His works and paintings have inspired many. Blake is
now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of
the Romantic Age.
Metaphors and symbolism are well used in this poem. For example, the wolf is a symbol of the night: it has a grey fur and has an affinity for the dark night. On the other hand, the lion with the golden fur is a symbolism of the glorious morning. “The lion glares through the dun forest” implies the uncertainty that lies at the hours of the night but eventually the night gives into the morning a ray of hope. Finally, he maintains that “the wolf rages” this is the symbol of evil.
He uses metaphors to compare the evening star to the “fair-haired
angel.” Evening symbolizes a prevailing
problem. And the shining star as a
beautiful Goddess who looks with compassion upon the people at night. She is
our guardian angel. The poet calls the star a bright torch of love which represents
a radiant and heroic quality to the star. The narrator is young (as Blake
himself was at the time) and his frustration between these opposing forces is
placed such as youth and age, tyrant and slave, day and night, male and female,
prey and predator.
The term “Now” reminds the significant function of
time. Sun is an inanimate object and it personified
to add beauty to the line. The sun rest
is a euphemism for it replace the term darkness. Light is a verb which is expected to be
fulfilled by Venus which is a personification.
"Thy bright torch of love; thy
radiant crown"
The possessive pronoun ‘thy’ acts as a personification
through the entire poem. Bright torch of
light is a metaphor which signifies the dawn of the star. The punctuation marks in the middle of the
line are called caesura.
In the “The Evening Star” One of the themes is of pastoral background with simplicity, man and natural world, shifting of power. The last two lines appeals to God for the first time because of his inferiority and potential impotence when it comes to protecting his flock from the fall of grace. The second is political entrapment. the speaker knows that it is during the night when Venus’s “radiant crown” holds the power to put an end to all of the daytime’s rules (change the color of the sky, put the flowers to sleep, calm the wind). But all the excitement will “soon withdraw” and just as in man’s law-abiding society, the force of opposition governs all of Blake’s inhibitions. Smile, silver and spoon are the repetition words. Sheep and lamp are the metaphor of the Christian world.
Lastly is sexual desire. The narrator here is simply looking for an excuse, any sort of blessing, to act upon his desire to mate with the opposite sex. It is not possible to appeal to reason, religion or god so, He turns to night time’s queen in hopes for approval. This poem presents the triumph of good over the evil and that the night will eventually give away to the morning. It gives an invaluable lesson of praying to God and surrendering our worries into his hands. The poem ends on a positive note leaving a glimmering hope in the reader’s heart.
Central idea
Blake wants show the huge effect nature has on one’s everyday life. For
instance, without the star, the night would not be bright and it will be too
dark and forbidding for us. However, the presence of the star lightens the
ambiance and imparts a peaceful and romantic aura to the night.
He further proceeds to show
how nature can protect our uncertain lives. The poet claims that the star
protects the people from the violent lion and the raging wolf lurking in the
darkness amidst the forest. At the same time, he beautifies and portrays the
innocence of nature. The flowers “shut its sweet eyes” brings forth a sweet and
fragrance and dreamy subdued tone to the poem.
Furthermore, the poet successfully illustrates how all the
elements of nature can come together to create a beautiful, and perfect
situation. For example, the star shines brightly, the lake reflects the light,
and the wind gently blows. These three actions come together to produce a
beautiful and attractive scenery which humans can observe and enjoy. The poet
through this poem fosters the feeling of deep appreciation and love for nature.
As a result, the reader feels grateful and indebted to nature for providing us
with its beauty and care.
Thus, the poet appeal to the nature goddess to
protect us form the darkness of evil. it
is an honest plea which he makes to the goddess with the intention to guard the
good from the evil.
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