'The Ecchoing Green' by William Blake
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/
Text
The Ecchoing Green
The Sun does arise,
And make happy the skies;
The merry bells ring
To welcome the Spring;
The sky-lark and thrush,
The birds of the bush,
Sing louder around
To the bells’ cheerful sound,
While our sports shall be seen
On the Ecchoing Green.
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 & boys,
In our youth time were seen
On the Ecchoing Green."
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 mothers
Many sisters and brothers,
Like birds in their nest,
Are ready for rest,
And sport no more seen
On the darkening Green.
Links to Articles & Essays
- BlakeSongSettings. (2010). The Ecchoing Green with Commentary by Jeff Gillett. Retrieved from http://web.archive.org/web/20160419010632/http://blakesongsettings.co.uk/index.php/the-poems/66-the-ecchoing-green
The Ecchoing Green presents childhood play as essentially joyful, exuberant and innocent. The poem is written in short rhymed couplets with an anapaestic (rising) metre which serves to underline the sense of energy and enthusiasm.
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The Ecchoing Green
Gilbert, F. (2013, August 10). The Ecchoing Green [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2hCASwiv60