Creativity in Writing: A Poet's Imagination

The Sick Rose

By William Blake

O Rose, thou art sick!

The invisible worm

That flies in the night,

In the howling storm,

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy,

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy.

What Blake writes about can be a simple illustration of a rose being attacked by a worm and in the process, eating away into the life of the rose. On the other hand, the poem can be a subtle enactment of a rape that occurs in the stealth of the night. The offender is unknown, preying on the victim that he chances upon. The consequences are dire for the act deals a fatal blow to the life of the victim, either in killing the victim literally or ruining the victim's life forever.

A simple illustration that can have several underlying meanings - yes, there is much we can learn from the poets' economic use of words which are at the same time graphic and layered with multiple interpretations.

Read the following poem and consider the multiple interpretations found therein.

My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold

By William Wordsworth

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:

So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!

The Child is father of the Man;

And I could wish my days to be

Round each to each by natural piety.

The Child is father of the Man. That verse sums up what Wordsworth is trying to get across his feelings at sighting the rainbow. What do you think the poem means? Are there multiple meanings? Our sample interpretations of the above poem will be offered at the end of this week. Do keep a look-out for the suggestions.