When the voices of children are heard on the green,
And laughing is heard on the hill,
My heart is at rest within my breast,
And everything else is still.
‘Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,
And the dews of night arise;
Come, come leave off play, and let us away
Till the morning appears in the skies.’
‘No, no, let us play, for it is yet day,
And we cannot go to sleep;
Besides, in the sky the little birds fly,
And the hills are all cover'd with sheep.’
‘Well, well, go and play till the light fades away,
And then go home to bed.’
The little ones leapèd, and shoutèd, and laugh'd
And all the hills echoèd
Songs of Experience
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.
William Blake
Nurse's Song is the name of two related poems by William Blake, published in Songs of Innocence in 1789, and Songs of Experience in 1794.
The poem in Songs of Innocence tells the tale of a Nurse, who, we are to assume, is looking over some children playing out in the field. After trying to call them in, they protest, claiming that it is still light, and therefore there is still time to play. The poem fits in with the theme of innocence, as it makes no mention of the negative aspects of playing outside; the children are oblivious to the dangers of playing outside late at night that would be considered in a modern society. The language uses various images associated with children's playing and imagination. The Nurse is of a jovial and warmhearted nature, as she allows the children to continue with their games, with no thought for the wider consequences.
The poem in Songs of Experience portrays the Nurse in a different light: she is bitter, and fears the consequences of her actions.
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".
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Excerpted from Nurse's Song
