British visionary poet William Blake included two versions of "Nurse's Song" in his self-published collection Songs of Innocence and Experience (1794). In the Innocence version of the poem, a nurse (something like a modern-day nanny) finds joy in watching the children in her care play in a field at the end of the day. In this "Nurse's Song," by contrast, the nurse takes no such pleasure in childhood innocence. Instead, she seems to resent the way the children remind her of her own youth and even to feel that the children's play is a waste of time and a form of deception.
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The Full Text of “Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)”
1When voices of children are heard on the green,
2And whisperings are in the dale,
3The days of my youth rise fresh in my mind,
4My face turns green and pale.
5Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,
6And the dews of night arise;
7Your spring and your day are wasted in play,
8And your winter and night in disguise.
The Full Text of “Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)”
1When voices of children are heard on the green,
2And whisperings are in the dale,
3The days of my youth rise fresh in my mind,
4My face turns green and pale.
5Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,
6And the dews of night arise;
7Your spring and your day are wasted in play,
8And your winter and night in disguise.
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“Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)” Summary
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“Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)” Themes
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Adult Cynicism vs. Childhood Innocence
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)”
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Lines 1-2
When voices of children are heard on the green,
And whisperings are in the dale, -
Lines 3-4
The days of my youth rise fresh in my mind,
My face turns green and pale. -
Lines 5-8
Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,
And the dews of night arise;
Your spring and your day are wasted in play,
And your winter and night in disguise.
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“Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)” Symbols
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The Rhythms of Nature
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“Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Assonance
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Juxtaposition
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Repetition
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“Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Green
- Dale
- Dews
- Arise
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)” Speaker
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“Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)”
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More “Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)” Resources
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External Resources
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Blake's Visions — Watch an excerpt from a documentary in which writer Iain Sinclair discusses Blake's religious visions.
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Blake's Biography — Learn more about Blake's life and work at the website of the British Library.
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Songs of Innocence and Experience — Check out the full book as Blake originally published it, including his beautiful artwork.
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A Blake Documentary — Listen to Blake scholars discussing the poet's life and work.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by William Blake
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