"The Sick Rose" was written by the British poet William Blake. First published in Songs of Innocence and Experience in 1794, it is one Blake's best-known poems, while also remaining one of his most enigmatic. In eight short lines, the speaker addresses the "Rose" of the title, telling it that an "invisible worm" has made it sick. This crafty worm has flown through a stormy night to satisfy its "dark secret love" in the rose's "bed"—an action that will "destroy" the rose's life. The poem is filled with symbolism, but there are a wide range of theories about what, exactly, the worm and rose represent. Generally speaking, the worm is a corrupting figure, preying on the innocent life-force of the beautiful rose. Both worm and rose are personified, and the poem is heavy with sexual suggestion—leading many critics to theorize that the poem depicts the oppression of sexuality and desire by the Christian authorities of the day.
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The Full Text of “The Sick Rose”
1O Rose thou art sick.
2The invisible worm,
3That flies in the night
4In the howling storm:
5Has found out thy bed
6Of crimson joy:
7And his dark secret love
8Does thy life destroy.
The Full Text of “The Sick Rose”
1O Rose thou art sick.
2The invisible worm,
3That flies in the night
4In the howling storm:
5Has found out thy bed
6Of crimson joy:
7And his dark secret love
8Does thy life destroy.
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“The Sick Rose” Summary
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“The Sick Rose” Themes
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Death, Destruction, and Innocence
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Sex and Desire
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Sick Rose”
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Line 1
O Rose thou art sick.
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Lines 2-4
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm: -
Lines 5-6
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy: -
Lines 7-8
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.
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“The Sick Rose” Symbols
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The Rose
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The Worm
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“The Sick Rose” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Apostrophe
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Assonance
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Consonance
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End-Stopped Line
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Enjambment
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Personification
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“The Sick Rose” 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.
- Thou
- Art
- Howling
- Found out
- Thy
- Crimson
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Sick Rose”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Sick Rose” Speaker
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“The Sick Rose” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Sick Rose”
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More “The Sick Rose” Resources
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External Resources
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Blake's Radicalism — A clip in which author Iain Sinclair discusses Blake's political views.
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The Poem Illustrated — See the poem as it originally appeared, complete with Blake's own artwork.
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Songs of Innocence and Experience — Check out the full text of the book in which "The Sick Rose" appears.
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Britten's Blake — A musical setting of the poem by composer Benjamin Britten.
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Invisible Worms — An interesting article that hunts for the inspiration behind the destructive worm in this poem.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by William Blake
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