ENGLISH LITERATURE
POETRY – The Echoing Green
By William Blake
Std.6
Name ________________________________ Div. ______ Date _________________
The Echoing Green is a poem by William Blake published in Songs of Innocence in 1789. The
poem talks about merry sounds and images which accompany the children playing outdoors.
Then, an old man happily remembers when he enjoyed playing with his friends during his own
childhood. The poem is the contrast of innocence and experience, but also the contrast between
perception of joys and sorrows. The last stanza depicts the little ones being weary when the sun
has descended and going to their mothers’ laps. No more playing is expected, for it is time to
take a break after a long day enjoying games. This poem is a blend of childlike innocence and
greyness of later years. The children are carefree and they are not surrounded by any kind of
worries because worries are associated with old age and pleasures with childhood.
Answer the following questions with reference to the context:
“While our sports shall be seen
On the Echoing Green.”
Q.1 Name the poem from which the above lines have been taken.
The above lines have been taken from the poem, ‘The Echoing Green’.
Q.2 Name the poet.
The poet is William Blake.
Q.3 Describe the events that take place when the sun rises.
When the sun rises, it makes the skies happy, the merry bells ring as if they are welcoming
the spring, birds of the bush like the skylark and thrush sing louder when they hear the
cheerful sounds of the bells.
Q.4 What does the term ‘Green’ refer to?
The term ‘Green’ refers to a grassy field usually found in English villages where the village
people of all ages usually meet.
Q.5 Why does the poet use the term ‘The Echoing Green’?
The poet uses the term ‘The Echoing Green’ because the Green is bursting with the sounds
of nature, of the children playing outdoors and of the ‘old folk’ who watch the children
joyfully playing and remember their childhood days.
Q.6 Who observes the sports played by the poet and the other children?
Old John with white hair, along with the other folk laugh and enjoy watching the games
played by the children.
Q.7 Quote the lines that remind them of their youth.
The lines are:
“Such, such were the joys
When we all, girls and boys,
In our youth time were seen
On the Echoing Green.”
Q.8 What happens when the sun begins to set?
When the sun begins to set, the little ones become weary and their sports have come to an
end. Round the laps of their mothers, many sisters and brothers like birds in their nest are
ready to rest.
Q.9 What word does the poet use to describe ‘the Green’ at the end of the poem?
The poet describes it as the ‘darkening Green’ as the sun has set and the sports and all other
activities have come to an end.
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Introduction: “The Echoing Green” is a great creation of William Blake which is more, a
lovely landscape
graced with the sound of vernal sports of
children, birds and bells. It is taken from Blake’s Snogs of Innocence. It is heavenly voice of
childhood unchallenged by the test and doubts of later years. This is a pictorial poem of
Blake. Generally, William Blake’s short poems are explained very simply, but there are
hidden depths to his work. Again his longer poems are mentioned extremely difficult.
Development of thought: In the poem, “The Echoing Green” Blake has presented a happy
country side view where the arrival of spring is welcomed by sunny sky and ringing
bells. This poem is a blend of childlike innocence and grayness of later years. It is symbolic
and draws a contrast between youth and old age. Here, a child describes his cheerful games
on a lush space, called ‘The Echoing Green’ because the children’s exclamations echo over
it. The spring symbolizes the youth and the children. Morning is the beginning of life and
the dark evening is the end. Here Blake has wanted to show that, the children are carefree
and they are always busy in their games. They are seen laughing and enjoying themselves
in the echoing green. The poet symbolizes the innocence and delicacy of children with the
birds. The birds are happy and they sing their heart out. When the old people with their
folks observe their playing they recall their nostology and share themselves, about the game
that they played in their childhood, that they will not regain the days and games. When the
children are very busy in their games, the ringing bells make them cheerful. When it
becomes dark, all the sports and play have come to an end for the day. Like the birds the
children go back to their residences and are ready to take a goodnight’s rest in the laps of
their mothers, sisters and brothers like little birds in a nest. So, on the darkening green the
games are not seen.
Structure: The poem follows the structure of a day— ‘the sun does arise’ in the beginning
of the first verse, and ‘the sun does descend’ in the middle of the third verse. The poem is
the contrast of innocence and experience, but also the contrast between perception of joys
and sorrows. What is happening on the Green will happen again, shown by the ‘old folk’
who watch the children and reminisce about their own childhood on the Green. The whole
poem is written in 6 sentences with much repetition. The poem could also be attributed to
the life of a person— birth, life, death.
Picture of spring: In the poem the poet plans to represent all the
shrinking and affectionate magnificence of spring. The first few lines have the smell of
April. The glow of the sky and the sun, the happiness of the ringing bells, the thrush, lark,
and child is kept fresh by some severer sense of faithful and mysterious harmony,
explained and vivified by a conscience and purpose in the artist’s hand and mind.
Symbolism: William Blake has used many symbols to make the poem more attractive and
more powerful. ‘Echo’ suggests the shouts and hooting of children. Green suggests the
mirth of childhood besides the scene of children’s play. Again ‘The Oak’ symbolizes old
age. ‘Nest of birds’ symbolizes peace and purity. ‘Darkening green’ symbolizes the death.
Edited by: Mahir. Dhaka, Bangladesh. Cell: +8801919879309, +8801761519111.