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 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.
This poem is impactful because it differentiates between friend and foe. The narrator, in the first line, is already being upfront and honest with his friend. The wrath is put to bed-- it is over. However, the foe gets a much different treatment. Here, his wrath is kept quiet, secret. So, it grows. Thus, the first stanza creates a basis for a poison tree. At this point, I assumed the tree would grow and overpower the narrator's life. I assumed the poem was about letting go of grudges-- cliche, I know.
The second stanza didn't surprise me much. However, this stanza does emphasize that the narrator is hung up on it. The tree is being watered with tears, night and day. The "smiles" and "deceitful wiles" remind me of how people act when they're being fake-- when somebody they hate walks by, but they have to be nice. The fake smiles and compliments struck me partially because of the rhyme scheme, but I will talk about that in a bit.
The main allusion throughout the last two stanzas is the Garden of Eden. This tree that the narrator has grown has created an apple-- the fruit that tempted Eve. Will this fruit tempt the narrator as well? Instead, it is the enemy who is tempter. He "knew that it was" the narrator's and had to have it. The narrator isn't just God, but he is also the serpent. He is the devil sent to tempt Eve into eating the forbidden fruit... The narrator created the tree and is using it as temptation. Of course, we know how this ends-- in tragedy. The foe lays dead. This poem struck me because usually, death is grieved. However, the narrator is overjoyed.
The rhyme scheme also stood out to me. The ABABAB rhyme scheme gives the poem a song-like quality. It sounds like a nursery rhyme a child might run around singing... but it's about death. It's about temptation. It's about enemies. This rhyme scheme juxtaposes, and thus highlights all of these elements.
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.
This poem is impactful because it differentiates between friend and foe. The narrator, in the first line, is already being upfront and honest with his friend. The wrath is put to bed-- it is over. However, the foe gets a much different treatment. Here, his wrath is kept quiet, secret. So, it grows. Thus, the first stanza creates a basis for a poison tree. At this point, I assumed the tree would grow and overpower the narrator's life. I assumed the poem was about letting go of grudges-- cliche, I know.
The second stanza didn't surprise me much. However, this stanza does emphasize that the narrator is hung up on it. The tree is being watered with tears, night and day. The "smiles" and "deceitful wiles" remind me of how people act when they're being fake-- when somebody they hate walks by, but they have to be nice. The fake smiles and compliments struck me partially because of the rhyme scheme, but I will talk about that in a bit.
The main allusion throughout the last two stanzas is the Garden of Eden. This tree that the narrator has grown has created an apple-- the fruit that tempted Eve. Will this fruit tempt the narrator as well? Instead, it is the enemy who is tempter. He "knew that it was" the narrator's and had to have it. The narrator isn't just God, but he is also the serpent. He is the devil sent to tempt Eve into eating the forbidden fruit... The narrator created the tree and is using it as temptation. Of course, we know how this ends-- in tragedy. The foe lays dead. This poem struck me because usually, death is grieved. However, the narrator is overjoyed.
The rhyme scheme also stood out to me. The ABABAB rhyme scheme gives the poem a song-like quality. It sounds like a nursery rhyme a child might run around singing... but it's about death. It's about temptation. It's about enemies. This rhyme scheme juxtaposes, and thus highlights all of these elements.
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