The Echoing Green

 

The poem The Echoing Green (originally Ecchoing Green) by William Blake is written in the appreciation of nature in simple terms. However, if we go deep into it, we will find the theme of life and death in the world. The poem is told by a young child who is playing in the “Echoing Green” park.

The poem has been divided into three stanzas which if we go deep, depict the three stages of life. Each stanza is divided into 10 lines and the rhyme scheme is AABB. Another interesting thing worth noticing is that the first two stanzas end in “On the Ecchoing Green” while the final stanza ends in “On the darkening Green”. We will discuss this in the end.

The Echoing Green: Summary

The poem consists of 3 stanzas. Each of these stanzas is again made up of 10 lines. Hence, the entire poem consists of 30 lines in total.

1st stanza:

“The sun does arise,

And make happy the skies.

The merry bells ring

To welcome the spring.

The skylark and thrush,

The birds of the bush,

Sing louder around,

To the bells’ cheerful sound,

While our sports shall be seen

On the echoing green.”

In this stanza, the poet describes how the skies are made happy by the rising of the sun. It is springtime on the green, and bells are being rung to welcome this loveliest of seasons. The Skylark and the thrush have flown back to the north at this time. Many birds are perching on the tops of the bushes outlining the area covered by the green. These birds are singing along to the tune of the ringing bells to produce a euphonious melody. The poet identifies himself with the children playing on the green and says that their play is clearly seen as the green echoes with all the cheerful sounds of spring.

2nd stanza:

“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 and boys,

In our youth-time were seen

On the echoing green.”

In this stanza, the poet shows that he has not entirely forgotten the aged while speaking about children. He looks at a group of older citizens sitting in the large and comfortable shade of an oak tree. Among this group, he isolates a man named John, for he is in a very merry mood. It seems as if he has been able to forget all the things that were making him anxious previously and is now quite relaxed. When the older generation sees their progeny at play, they reminisce about their own childhood. They say that they had been as happy as the children are now, for they had also had their season of joys on the green, which echoed with the pleasant sounds of spring back then as well.

3rd stanza:

“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 mother

Many sisters and brothers,

Like birds in their nest,

Are ready for rest;

And sport no more seen

On the darkening green.”

In this stanza, the poet says that the younger children become tired fast and cannot play anymore. So then they rest their heads on the laps of their mothers. Brothers and sisters lie together, resting in the same place, just as little birds do in their nests. As a result, no one else can be seen playing on the green anymore as the sun sets and the whole area becomes dark. You can also refer to The Echoing Green: Analysis here.

The short but lovely poem has been taken from "Songs of Innocence' by William Blake. These songs are the divine voice of childhood. In this poem the poet has described a grassy park on a warm day in late spring. The sun is spreading its golden rays over the earth. Every thing glitters with life. The sky is bright and clear. Happy song birds like skylark and thrush are singing in tune with the cheerful sound of the church bells. They welcome the spring with their sweet notes.

Old John and other elderly persons are sitting under the oak tree. They are watching the sports of young boys and girls. They are all laughing and trying to forget their worries. They recall their own child hood and say that they also enjoyed their games on the green field in the same way. Soon the evening approaches. As the sun comes down and darkness prevails, all sports come to an end. The children feel tired now. They go home and take refuge in the laps of their mothers. They went into the bed just like birds in their nests. The bright green field turns into a deserted and dark field.

The poem "The Echoing Green" is written by William Blake, in his book "Songs of Innocence" (1789).

The central idea of the poem is to give a contrast between innocence and experience as well as between perception of joys and sorrows. This poem may also be attributed towards the life of a person and his different stages of life like birth, life and finally death.

This poem is written by William Blake and it basically depicts how everything in the world begins with a cheerful start but also has to end, whether it’s the day or the life of a person. The poem also shows a contrast between the innocence in the beginning and the experience that is gained with age. 

It shows the various phases of a person’s life from childhood to old age. The merry ringing of bells and singing and chirping of the birds represent the joys of childhood and young age when one possesses a lot of energy. After that the old age approaches which makes you weary and tired and when old you reminisce about the golden days of youth and its joys. At this age there is a little bit of sadness about everything coming to a near end. In this poem youth is described by the metaphor “Echoing Green” while “Darkening Green” is used to represent old age.