The Garden of Love - Imagery, symbolism and themes

Imagery and symbolism

The garden of love - The dominant image evokes two gardens in the Old Testament. Firstly, it evokes the Garden of Eden before the Fall of humankind. When Adam and Eve were in the garden, they were able to love without shame and self-consciousness. It was a place, therefore, of innocent, uninhibited sexual expression. The state of the garden discovered by the speaker is therefore akin to Eden after the Fall, when sexuality is surrounded by shame, repression and prohibitions (see Big ideas from the Bible > Garden of Eden; Adam and Eve; Second Adam.)

The second garden is found in the Old Testament poem, the Song of Songs (sometimes called The Song of Solomon.) This is an unashamedly erotic poem in which garden imagery is used as a metaphor for sexual enjoyment (Song of Songs 4:16, Song of Songs 5:1, Song of Songs 6:2). However, the contemporary Christian reading reinterpreted the original eroticism of the poem, to make it a symbol of a ‘purer' spiritual love, implicitly demoting the worth of sexual expression.

More on the Song of Songs: This poetic account of lovers was interpreted by the Church variously as an image of the spiritual relationship:

between Christ and the soul

between Christ and the Church

between God and the Virgin Mary.

In medieval literature, the Song was used as an image for sexual encounter/ sexual relationship. Chaucer uses it in a parodic form in his Merchant's Tale in The Canterbury Tales.

Since it thus became a poem interpreted in ways far removed from its original purpose, the Song serves as a metaphor for Blake's vision of the way in which the religious system has replaced a celebration of the goodness of sexuality with reasons for shame and repression.

The green - This has three, inter-linked aspects

The colour green is associated with growth, fertility and spring
Village greens were places of play and freedom. They represented the importance of play, and therefore of imagination, in human life.
Village greens were not owned by anyone, so represented freedom from the rule or demands of an authority figure.

In the Songs of Innocence, the green is a place of play and freedom for children. It evokes a time of innocence in which ‘play' could include innocent, unselfconscious sexuality. Here it has been taken over by repressiveness.

Prison – Blake's opposition to the repression of desires as advocated by conventional Christianity meant that the Chapel seems an image of prison:

It is bounded by ‘gates' which are ‘shut'
It is a place where people are not free to act (‘Thou shalt not')
It is associated with the loss of life (‘graves')
Its priests wear uniforms (they are all ‘in black') and patrol the grounds like warders
They confine any initiative toward freedom (‘binding .. desires'), in a potentially painful way (using ‘briars').

Investigating imagery and symbolism

Compare the values represented by the green in many of the Songs of Innocence with the values that now seem to dominate the Garden.

Themes

The distortion of Christian belief about the future life

Blake attacks the approach of some forms of contemporary Christianity which encouraged the denial of sexuality and other powers in the present, in the hope of future reward and bliss. He felt that this led to permanent failure to attain human fulfilment.

The effects of ‘fallenness' on repression of sexuality and other emotions

Blake believed that inhibitions lie primarily within the mind, rather than in external factors. Society makes its fears, guilt and shame into rules and laws which are then enshrined in social institutions such as the authority of parents, the Church and the State or Monarchy.

Investigating themes

What new aspects of this theme are dealt with here?

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. ²Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost its young. ³Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil. ⁴Your neck is like the tower of David, built in rows of stone; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors. ⁵Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, that graze among the lilies. ⁶Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will go away to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. ⁷You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you. ⁸Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards. ⁹You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. ¹⁰How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice! ¹¹Your lips drip nectar, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue; the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. ¹²A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed. ¹³Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with all choicest fruits, henna with nard, ¹⁴nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all choice spices - ¹⁵a garden fountain, a well of living water, and flowing streams from Lebanon. ¹⁶Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow. Together in the Garden of Love She Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits.

¹Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. ²Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them. ³Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks. ⁴Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. ⁵Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. ⁶Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. ⁷Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee. ⁸Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards. ⁹Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. ¹⁰How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! ¹¹Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. ¹²A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. ¹³Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, ¹⁴Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: ¹⁵A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. ¹⁶Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹I came to my garden, my sister, my bride, I gathered my myrrh with my spice, I ate my honeycomb with my honey, I drank my wine with my milk. Others Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love! ²I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking. Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night. ³I had put off my garment; how could I put it on? I had bathed my feet; how could I soil them? ⁴My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me. ⁵I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. ⁶I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer. ⁷The watchmen found me as they went about in the city; they beat me, they bruised me, they took away my veil, those watchmen of the walls. ⁸I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am sick with love. ⁹What is your beloved more than another beloved, O most beautiful among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you thus adjure us? ¹⁰My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand. ¹¹His head is the finest gold; his locks are wavy, black as a raven. ¹²His eyes are like doves beside streams of water, bathed in milk, sitting beside a full pool. ¹³His cheeks are like beds of spices, mounds of sweet-smelling herbs. His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh. ¹⁴His arms are rods of gold, set with jewels. His body is polished ivory, bedecked with sapphires. ¹⁵His legs are alabaster columns, set on bases of gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars. ¹⁶His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

¹I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. ²I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. ³I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? ⁴My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. ⁵I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. ⁶I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. ⁷The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. ⁸I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. ⁹What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us? ¹⁰My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. ¹¹His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. ¹²His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. ¹³His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. ¹⁴His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. ¹⁵His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. ¹⁶His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you? ²My beloved has gone down to his garden to the beds of spices, to graze in the gardens and to gather lilies. ³I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine; he grazes among the lilies. ⁴You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners. ⁵Turn away your eyes from me, for they overwhelm me - Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. ⁶Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that have come up from the washing; all of them bear twins; not one among them has lost its young. ⁷Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil. ⁸There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and virgins without number. ⁹My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the only one of her mother, pure to her who bore her. The young women saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines also, and they praised her. ¹⁰Who is this who looks down like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awesome as an army with banners? ¹¹I went down to the nut orchard to look at the blossoms of the valley, to see whether the vines had budded, whether the pomegranates were in bloom. ¹²Before I was aware, my desire set me among the chariots of my kinsman, a prince. ¹³Return, return, O Shulammite, return, return, that we may look upon you. He Why should you look upon the Shulammite, as upon a dance before two armies?

¹Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee. ²My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. ³I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies. ⁴Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners. ⁵Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead. ⁶Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them. ⁷As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks. ⁸There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. ⁹My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. ¹⁰Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners? ¹¹I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded. ¹²Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib. ¹³Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.

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Songs of Innocence and Experience Contents