Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1826)/Songs of Experience/Nurse's Song

For works with similar titles, see Nurse's Song.

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Nurse's Song

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The poem in Songs of Experience is the polar opposite, and is a bitter, remorseful tale. It portrays the Nurse in a different light— she is bitter, and jealous of the innocence the children possess. Blake may be trying to portray the Nurse as a woman crushed by the weight of the world and turned bitter and cruel, no longer able to see the positive aspects of life. The language reflects her bitter nature— for example, "my face turns green and pale", and "wasted in play".

— Excerpted from Nurse's Song on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

5477Songs of Experience — Nurse's SongWilliam Blake

When the voices of children are heard on the green,
And whisperings are in the dale,
The days of my youth rise fresh in my mind,
My face turns green and pale.

Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,
And the dews of night arise;
Your spring and your day are wasted in play,
And your winter and night in disguise.

This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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