University of Rizal System

Graduate School
Pililla, Rizal

DOMINGO, RENIEL M. LITERARY CRITICISM

MAT – ENGLISH PROF. ARMINDA B. CAMPO

THE SICK ROSE

  Wi l l i am Bl ak e
O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

The poem is titled "The Sick Rose" so it's no surprise that nature is the main theme that
figures prominently into it. The title of the text emphasizes three-syllabication meter with
great application of “personification.” The Rose is the subject describing a sick and dying
flower as human distinctive.

Line 1:
O rose thou art sick

 The poem opens with the speaker addressing the rose that is severely sick.
 The speaker addresses the Rose as a proper noun with phrase "O Rose thou art
sick";
 It has a five-syllabication meter
 Apostrophe: “O Rose”
 Rose as a metaphor for love or passion; the ideas about which are severely "sick."
 Personification

Line 2:
The invisible worm,
 The speaker introduces the "invisible worm." The worm highlights nearing death or
"invisible" might be a metaphor for the worm's quiet act of destruction.
 It starts by telling us that the rose is sick, and the second stanza suggests that the
worm might be the cause of this sickness

Line 3
That flies in the night
 The speaker describes an "invisible worm" that flies.
 The worm can also fly when it's raining.
 University of Rizal System
Graduate School
Pililla, Rizal
 We don't know what this worm is doing in the poem or even what kind of worm it is.
An invisible worm that can fly? Is it some kind of butterfly? If yes, it could be a
representation of the superstition about butterflies symbolizing death.

Line 4:
In the howling storm:

 The speaker mentions a "howling storm" which gives the poem a more ominous
tone. "Howling" reminds us of dogs or wolves; the sounds of those animals are used
here as a metaphor for the storm.

Line 5:
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:

 The speaker tells us more about the worm; it has found the rose's bed.
 "Bed" might refer to a plot of ground in which the rose is growing, or even the rose's
petals. In the first case, it's not a literal bed with comforters and pillows, so it's
a metaphor for the plot of ground. In the second case, it refers to a place where
insects rest or sleep.
 The status of this "bed" is ambiguous. It could be just a place where the rose sleeps
that happens to be "crimson."
 It could also be a "bed" of something, like a "bed of roses" (not unlikely since the
poem is called "The Sick Rose") or something else that's red. This would make the
rose a gardener of some kind.

Lines 7-8:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

 The speaker tells us that the worm's "love" kills the rose.
 It's strange that "love" is killing something here, since we usually associate love with
life.
 "Dark secret love" could mean three things. It could mean the worm's love, as in
"My love for you will never die."
 It could also refer to something that the worm loves, as in, "Hello, my love, I'm
home."
 It might even refer to the act of making love, or sex.
 The worm's "dark secret love" kills and destroys the rose with his dark secret love; a
worm doesn't literally possess any "love," so this is an example of personification,
where human characteristics or emotions (love) are attributed to non-human things
(worm).
 The way in which the worm penetrates the "bed of crimson joy" suggests that he is
infecting the rose.
University of Rizal System
Graduate School
Pililla, Rizal