The Sick Rose

Blake composed the poem sometime after 1789, and presented it with an illuminated border and illustration, typical of his self-publications.

[1] Since the 20th century, the poem has been the subject of scrutiny by scholars for its oblique and enigmatic meaning, and bizarre, suggestive imagery.

The scansion is difficult to place, due to a lack of pattern; the stanzas are asymmetrical: the first has syllables of 5,6,5,5, and the second of 5,4,6,5.

[4] The poem was set to music by Benjamin Britten in his 1943 Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, where it forms the movement "Elegy".

Verses of the poem also comprised and inspired the 1991 song "Love's Secret Domain" by English group Coil.

Hand-coloured print, issued c.1826. A copy held by the Fitzwilliam Museum , Cambridge [ 1 ]