Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

To the Evening Star, by William Blake, is a poem that is both melancholic and wistful. The speaker addresses the star as if it were a person, expressing a sense of longing and nostalgia for something that has been lost. The poem is a reflection on the passage of time and the fleeting nature of life, and it captures the sense of yearning that many people feel as they contemplate their own mortality.

The first stanza of the poem establishes the tone and mood, with the speaker addressing the star in a plaintive voice: "Thou fair-haired angel of the evening / Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains, light / Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown / Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!" The star is described as an "angel" and a "torch of love," suggesting that it has a special significance for the speaker. The use of the word "our" implies that the speaker is not alone in contemplating the star, but is perhaps with a loved one.

The second stanza deepens the sense of melancholy, as the speaker reflects on the transience of life: "Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the / Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew / On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes / In timely sleep." The image of the star drawing the curtains of the sky suggests the end of the day and the onset of night, which is often associated with death and the passage of time. The idea of the star scattering silver dew on the flowers also implies a sense of gentle, but inevitable, decay.

In the third stanza, the speaker continues to reflect on the transience of life, describing the star as a "mourner" who weeps for the passing of time: "Let thy west wind sleep on / The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes, / And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon, / Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide, / And the lion glares through the dun forest." The image of the star withdrawing suggests that it is a symbol of something that has been lost, while the reference to the wolf and lion implies a sense of danger and mortality.

In the final stanza, the speaker addresses the star directly, expressing a sense of gratitude and reverence: "The mountains kiss high heaven / And the waves clasp one another; / No sister-flower would be forgiven / If it disdained its brother; / And the sunlight clasps the earth / And the moonbeams kiss the sea: / What are all these kissings worth, / If thou kiss not me?" The speaker seems to be suggesting that the beauty of the natural world is incomplete without the presence of the star, which has a special significance for him.

To the Evening Star is a beautiful and evocative poem that captures the sense of longing and nostalgia that many people feel as they contemplate their own mortality. The image of the star as a symbol of something that has been lost is particularly poignant, and the poem as a whole suggests a sense of the fragility and fleeting nature of life. At the same time, however, the poem also suggests a sense of gratitude and reverence for the beauty of the natural world, and for the special significance that certain symbols and images can have for individuals.

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