Blake’s poetry is full of symbols. In the poem, ‘The Sick Rose’, Blake presents his vision in terms of some marvellous symbols. The rose is an archetypal symbol of beauty, modesty and innocence. But Blake’s rose is entirely different. The sick rose is his personal symbol of experience. It has lost its innocence. The worm evokes the image of the biblical serpent. It is a symbol of the corrupting force that destroys beauty. The rose’s ‘bed of crimson joy’ stands for sexual pleasure. The ‘dark secret love’ causes sickness. It is illicit love. The darkness of night serves as a setting with symbolic meaning. It suggests evil deeds and malice. Thus, the poem itself symbolises the corruption of innocence.
