Tot

heEv
eni
ngSt
arbyWi
l
li
am Bl
ake

ThePoet

 Bor
n:Nov28,
1757,
London
 Di
ed:
Aug12,
1827

Wil
li
am Bl
ake( 1757-
1827)wasanEnglishpoet,ar
ti
st,andvi
sionar
ywhoi sknownf
orhisuni
quecombi
nati
onof
l
it
erat
ureandar t
.Heliveddur
ingatimeofgreatsoci
alandpoli
ti
calupheav
ali
nEngl
and,andhi
sworksr
efl
ecthi
s
vi
ewsonreli
gion,pol
i
tics,
andsoci
ety
.

BlakewasborninLondontoafamil
yofart
isans,
andhewasl argel
yself-educat
ed.Hebeganhi
sart
ist
iccar
eerasan
apprent
icet
oanengraver,
andhisearl
yworksweremainl
yil
lustrat
ionsforbooks.However,
hesoonbegantocreat
e
hi
swor ksofar
tandpoetry,
whi
chwer eunl
ikeanyt
hingel
sebeingpr oducedatthe

Oneofthemostimport
antthemesi nBlake’
sworkishiscri
ti
queofthei
ndust
rial
izat
ionandmater
ial
ism t
hatwer e
tr
ansfor
mingEngl
andduri
nghislifet
ime.Hesawt hesedevelopment
sasathreattohumancreati
vi
ty,spi
ri
tual
it
y,and
fr
eedom.Inhi
spoemsandpai nt
ings,heof t
enpor
trayedthenatur
alwor
ldandthehumani magi
nati
onassour cesof
beaut
yandmeaningthatwerebeinglostinthemodernworld.

Anotherimport
antaspectofBl
ake'
sworkwashisrel
i
giousvisi
on.Hewasdeepl
yinf
luencedbytheBi bl
eandby
my sti
calt
radi
ti
onssuchasSwedenborgi
ani
sm,andhebelievedthatt
hedi
vi
newaspr esenti
nallaspect
soflif
e.Hi
s
poetryoft
enexplor
esthenatur
eofGod,t
herel
ati
onshipbetweenhumansandthedi
vine,andtheroleofrel
i
gioni
n
society
.

Blake'
sartwasalsohi
ghl
yinnovat
ive.Hedevel
opedatechni
quecal
led"r
eli
efet
chi
ng"thimagesl
owedhimt o
combi net
extandimagei
nawayt hatwasnotpossibl
ewithtr
adi
ti
onalpr
int
ingmethods.Hi
sill
ust
rati
onsand
painti
ngswerehi
ghlydet
ail
edandcompl ex
,andheusedboldcol
orsandsymboli
cimagerytoconveyhisi
deas.

Despitehisinnov
ati
vework,Blakewasl ar
gelyunr
ecogni
zeddur
inghi
sli
fet
ime.However
,hehassi
ncebecome
recognizedasoneofthemosti mportantfi
guresoft
heRomanti
cmov ementi
nEngland,
andhiswor
ksconti
nuet
o
i
nspirear t
ist
sandwrit
erst
ot hisday
.

Backgr
oundoft
hepoem.
..
"TotheEveni
ngStar"i
sapoem writ
tenbyWil
l
iam Bl
akei
n1824.Thepoem i
spartofBl
ake'
scoll
ect
ionofworks
call
ed"SongsofExper
ience,
"whi
chexplor
est
hemesofhumanexperi
enceandthecont
radi
cti
onsandchal
lengesof
l
ife.

Thepoem i
saddressedtotheplanetVenus,whi
chisoft
enref
erredtoastheeveni
ngstarbecauseiti
sv i
sibl
eint
he
skydur
ingtheev
ening.Inmanycultur
es,Venushasbeenassoci
atedwit
hl ov
e,beaut
y,andfemini
nity
,andBlakeuses
thi
sassoci
ati
ontoexploret
hethemesofl oveandl
ossinthepoem.

ThecontextinwhichBlakewr ote"TotheEv eni

ngSt ar"i
simportantinunderst
andingit
smeani
ng.Blakelivedduri
nga
ti
meofgr eatsoci
alandpolit
icalupheavalinEngl and,
andhiswor ksof t
enrefl
ecthisvi
ewsonthestateofsociet
y.In
theearl
y19thcentury,
Englandwasunder goingrapidindust
ri
ali
zati
on, whi
chwasl eadi
ngtosi
gnif
icantchangesin
thewaypeopleliv
edandwor ked.Thepoem canbeseenasar eactiontothesechangesandarefl
ectiononthe
ti
melessthemesofl oveandlosst hatar
eapar tofthehumanex perience.

Bl
ake'
spoet
ryi
sal
soheav
il
yinf
luencedbyhi
srel
i
giousbel
i
efs.Hewasadeepl
yspi
ri
tual
per
sonwhobel
i
evedt
hat
thedi
vinewaspresenti
nallaspect
sofli
fe.I
n"Tot
heEv eni
ngStar
,"heusest
heimageryoftheplanetVenust
o
expl
orehisi
deasaboutthenatureofGodandther
elat
ionshi
pbetweenhumansandthepersoni
ne.

Overal
l,"
TotheEveni
ngSt ar
"isacomplexandmult
i-
layer
edpoem t
hatexpl
oresthemesoflove,
loss,
spi
ri
tual
i
ty,
and
soci
alchange.I
tisaref
lecti
onofthet
imeinwhichBlakeli
ved,
aswell
asat i
melessexpl
orati
onofthehuman
experi
ence.

Anal
ysi
s.
Thouf
air
-hai
redangeloft
heev
eni
ng,
Fai
r-
hai
redangel
oft
heev
eni
ng–met
aphor
/assonance(
creat
esagl
amor
oust
one)

Fai
r–hai
redangel
–vi
sual
imager
y

Thou(
you)–t
heper
soni
fi
cat
ion

Theev eningstar,Venusisper
soni
fi
edgi
vingitadi
vi
nequali
ty.Theimageofaf ai
r-hai
redangelsuggestsnotonl
y
beauty(fair
-hai
red)andthepowerofpr
otecti
onandheal
ing(angel)
.Theev eni
ngstari
sconsideredtheGreek
goddessVenus.Venusi saRomangoddessoflove,
beauty
,andf er
ti
li
ty.Thepoetseemstostartapr ay
ertogodby
prai
si
ngherbeaut yandherpowerofpr
otecti
on.

Now,
whi
l
stt
hesunr
est
sont
hemount
ains,
li
ght
Thybr
ightt
orchofl
ove;
thyr
adi
antcr
own
Puton,
andsmi
l
euponourev
eni
ngbed!
Smi
l
eonourl
oves,
Thesunr
est
sont
hemount
ain–v
isual
/ki
nest
het
ici
mage

Br
ightt
orchofl
ove/r
adi
antcr
own/ourev
eni
ngbed–t
hemet
aphor

Thesunr
est
s/t
hy–per
soni
fi
cat
ion

Attheendoft hedayofhardlaborandtoil
,af
terthesunset,t
heappearanceoftheeveni
ngstarsoothespeoplewit
h
i
tsbeaut yandglamour.Thepoetrequest
stolightt
hebrighttor
choflovewearswearherradi
antcrownsmi l
i
ngupon
thetir
edonesandt hei
rbelov
eds.Thebr i
ghttorchofloveandradi
antcrownissuggesti
veoft hebr
ightgli
mmerit
spreads.Thepersoni
fi
edactionsofthesunandev eni
ngstarcreat
ekinesthet
icimagesi
nwhi chthereadercansee
mov ements.

andwhi
l
ethoudr
awestt
he
Bl
uecur
tai
nsoft
hesky
,scat
tert
hysi
l
ver
eddew
Onev
eryf
lowert
hatshut
sit
ssweetey
es
I
nti
mel
ysl
eep.
Thou/
flowershut
sey
es–t
heper
soni
fi
cat
ion

Bl
uecur
tai
ns/
sil
verdew/
sweetey
es–v
isual
imager
y

Dr
awbl
uecur
tai
ns/shut
sey
es–ki
nest
het
ici
mager
y

Bl
uecur
tai
ns/
sweetey
es–amet
aphor

Poetr
equest
sVenust
oscat
terev
eni
ngdewonwi
ther
ingf
lower
s.Bl
uecur
tai
nsandsi
l
verdewcr
eat
esabeaut
if
ul
vi
sualimageintheeveni
ngti
me.Bluecurt
ainssuggestthecol
oroft
heskyaftert
hesunset.Fl
oweri
spersoni
fi
ed
gi
vinghumanqualiti
essuchasshutt
ingey
es.Sweetey esmaysuggestt
hefl
owerinfull
bloom whi
chisnowgoingt
o
bewither
ed.Scatt
eri
ngdewont hefl
owermaybesuggest iv
etosoothei
torkeepital
i
veforsomemor eti
me.

Lett
hywestwi
ndsl
eepon
Thel
ake;
speaksi
l
encewi
tht
hygl
i
mmer
ingey
es,
Andwasht
heduskwi
thsi
l
ver
.
Westwi
ndsl
eep–t
heper
soni
fi
cat
ion

Speaksi
l
ence–oxy
mor
on

Gl
i
mmer
ingey
es–v
isual
imager
y/met
aphor

Thepoetr equeststheeveni
ngst artoputt
hewestwi ndtosleepmakingtheenv i
ronmentsilent(I
fthel
akemakes
ri
pplesont helakeitwoulddist
urbthesil
ence)andmakingthedusk( mil
dlydarkevening)coloroverwi
ththe
ref
lecti
onoft hestaronthelake.Thatshowsthatthepoetbeli
evestheeveningstarpossessesthepowert ostopa
naturalf
orceandmaket heenvir
onmentmor epict
uresque.Speaksi
lencesuggestscelebrati
ngthebeautyofthe
sil
encetomaket hesceneenchant i
ng.Gl
immeringeyesmeansey escoveredbytears;thatmaybet heref
lect
ionof
thestaronwat ercreat
ingsuchani mage.

Soon,
ful
lsoon,
Dostt
houwi
thdr
aw;
thent
hewol
frageswi
de,
Andt
hel
i
ongl
arest
hrought
hedunf
orest
.
Wol
f/l
i
on–sy
mbol
sofni
ghtandmor
ning

Wol
frage/
li
ongl
are/
Dunf
orest–met
aphor
s

Poetunderstandsthefactt
hatev erypowerandbeaut
ydoesnotl
astl
ong.Theev eni
ngstarhastodepartwhenthe
nightfal
l
sanddur ingt
heday t
ime.Dur i
ngthi
speri
odthepeopl
ewouldnotrecei
vetheprotecti
onofVenus.Wolf
rageswidesuggest st
hefal
li
ngofni ghtandli
onglar
esmaybesuggesti
veofdawn.Poetsuggeststhetransi
tory
natureofeveryt
hingandthevulnerabil
i
tyofhumansbefor
etheev
ilf
orcessuggestedbywol fr
ageandli
onglare.

Thef
leecesofourf
locksar
ecov
eredwi
th
Thysacr
eddew;
prot
ectwi
tht
hem wi
tht
hinei
nfl
uence.
Alt
houghtheev eningstardepart
safterit
sshor tappearance,t
heholyeffectcr
eatedremainsonthedevotedones.
Thepoetrequestst hestart
oprotecttheinnocentsfrom dangerousfor
ceswi t
hherhol ypowerdur
ingherabsence.
SacredDewbr i
ngst hepoem ahol yeff
ectaftertheprayerisdonetoherbyt hepoet.I
nt hi
spoem,thepowerofthe
eveningst
ariscelebratedovernatur
eandhumanl i
fe.I
tisseenasaguar dianaswel l
asaf or
cethatbeaut
if
iesthe
envi
ronment