Ah! Sun-flower(1794)
William Blake
Note on line 1: (Sigh.) “Time” is indeed the problem in this tough Blakean Song of Experience. First it’s the Sun-flower’s all-too-human problem. A showy heliotrope, it performs daily that insatiably deferred gratification which forms the poem’s deep subject – and the target of its bitter irony since, by the final line, in the heaven for which the Sun-flower yearns there’s nothing to do but take it from the top and resume the endless cycle of postponement. Moreover, “time” becomes a problem for any 4B4V reader who seeks to “count the steps” of scansion. An addictive anapestic trimeter prevails except, when lines 3, 5, and 6 envision the objects of desire (clime, Youth, Virgin), the whirligig all but breaks down. 4B4V proposes to rescue the trimeter by fetching an exotic foot from classical prosody, the trisyllabic amphimacer (stress-slack-stress), which this note therefore gives you in advance. The resulting counterpoint in these lines of 4 beats against 3 may prompt reflection on how seductively procrastination can convert habitual self-denial into perverse self-indulgence.
List of Poems
By Title
- A Forsaken Garden (ll. 57-80)
- A Musical Instrument
- A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
- Adonais (Stanzas 54-55)
- Ah! Sun-flower
- Amoretti 75
- An Essay on Criticism (Excerpt ll. 362-73)
- Anthem for Doomed Youth
- Astrophil and Stella: 31
- Beppo: Stanza XLIV
- Bright Star
- Cary/Morison Ode: The Turn 65-74
- Chorus (from Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Despayre in Praise of Suicide (Faerie Queene 1.9.39-40)
- Dover Beach
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher
- Echo
- Elegy
- Enoch Arden
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
- Eternity
- Even Such is Time
- God’s Grandeur
- He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
- Heaven-Haven: A Nun Takes the Veil
- Here Dead Lie We
- Holy Sonnet 1
- Holy Sonnet 14
- Hyperion I. 1-14
- I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
- I Look Into My Glass
- Idylls of the King (X.454-76)
- In Memoriam; section 7
- In Neglect
- In Tenebris
- Jabberwocky
- Jordan
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (from Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Kubla Khan
- La Belle Dame sans Merci
- Lear on the Heath (from King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Life of Life (from Prometheus Unbound II.v.48-71)
- Meeting at Night
- Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy
- Mont Blanc ll. 1-11
- Mowing
- My Spirit Will Not Haunt the Mound
- My Sweetest Lesbia
- On His Blindness
- On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet
- Ozymandias
- Paradise Lost (IV. 222-44)
- Pertinax
- Piano
- Prospero Explains (from The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Rain
- Renouncement
- Resume
- Rhyme for a Child Viewing a Naked Venus in a Painting of “The Judgment of Paris”
- Roses Are Red
- Sabrina Fair (from Comus) (1634)
- She Dotes on What the Wild Birds Say
- She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
- Since There’s No Help
- Slow, Slow, Fresh Fount
- Snow-Flakes
- Song: Go, Lovely Rose
- Sonnet 165: “It Is The Fashion Now”
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- Sonnet 73
- Sonnets from the Portuguese #7
- Sudden Light
- Thaw
- The Balloon of the Mind
- The Brain is Wider than the Sky
- The Cold Heaven
- The Eagle
- The Good-Morrow
- The Kraken
- The Lowest Place
- The Night is Freezing Fast
- The Oxen
- The Prelude (I.326-39)
- The Roundel
- The Sick Rose
- The Sonnet
- The Span of Life
- The Swifts
- The Tyger
- The Voice
- The Witch
- The Wood Pile
- Though I am Young and Cannot Tell
- To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing
- To Daffodils
- To the Reader of these Sonnets
- Upon Julia’s Clothes
- Westron Wynde
- When a Man Hath No Freedom
By Difficulty
WARMING UP
- A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
- Amoretti 75
- An Essay on Criticism (Excerpt ll. 362-73)
- Beppo: Stanza XLIV
- Cary/Morison Ode: The Turn 65-74
- Despayre in Praise of Suicide (Faerie Queene 1.9.39-40)
- Dover Beach
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher
- Elegy
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
- Even Such is Time
- Here Dead Lie We
- I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
- I Look Into My Glass
- Jabberwocky
- Meeting at Night
- Mont Blanc ll. 1-11
- My Spirit Will Not Haunt the Mound
- On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet
- Pertinax
- Rhyme for a Child Viewing a Naked Venus in a Painting of “The Judgment of Paris”
- Roses Are Red
- She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
- Snow-Flakes
- Sonnet 165: “It Is The Fashion Now”
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- The Brain is Wider than the Sky
- The Eagle
- The Kraken
- The Lowest Place
- The Night is Freezing Fast
- The Span of Life
- To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing
- To Daffodils
- Upon Julia’s Clothes
- Westron Wynde
MOVING ALONG
- A Forsaken Garden (ll. 57-80)
- A Musical Instrument
- Adonais (Stanzas 54-55)
- Anthem for Doomed Youth
- Astrophil and Stella: 31
- Bright Star
- Chorus (from Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Enoch Arden
- Eternity
- He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
- Heaven-Haven: A Nun Takes the Veil
- Holy Sonnet 1
- Hyperion I. 1-14
- Idylls of the King (X.454-76)
- In Memoriam; section 7
- In Neglect
- In Tenebris
- Jordan
- La Belle Dame sans Merci
- Lear on the Heath (from King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Mowing
- My Sweetest Lesbia
- Ozymandias
- Paradise Lost (IV. 222-44)
- Prospero Explains (from The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Rain
- Renouncement
- Resume
- Since There’s No Help
- Song: Go, Lovely Rose
- Sonnet 73
- Sonnets from the Portuguese #7
- Thaw
- The Balloon of the Mind
- The Good-Morrow
- The Prelude (I.326-39)
- The Roundel
- The Sick Rose
- The Sonnet
- The Swifts
- The Tyger
- The Witch
- The Wood Pile
- Though I am Young and Cannot Tell
- To the Reader of these Sonnets
- When a Man Hath No Freedom
SPECIAL CHALLENGE
- Ah! Sun-flower
- Echo
- God’s Grandeur
- Holy Sonnet 14
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (from Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Kubla Khan
- Life of Life (from Prometheus Unbound II.v.48-71)
- Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy
- On His Blindness
- Piano
- Sabrina Fair (from Comus) (1634)
- She Dotes on What the Wild Birds Say
- Slow, Slow, Fresh Fount
- Sudden Light
- The Cold Heaven
- The Oxen
- The Voice
By Type
BALLAD
- Echo
- I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
- La Belle Dame sans Merci
- She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
- The Brain is Wider than the Sky
- The Oxen
BLANK VERSE
- Chorus (from Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Enoch Arden
- Hyperion I. 1-14
- Idylls of the King (X.454-76)
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (from Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Lear on the Heath (from King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Paradise Lost (IV. 222-44)
- Prospero Explains (from The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Rain
- The Prelude (I.326-39)
- The Wood Pile
CINQUAIN
COUPLET
- An Essay on Criticism (Excerpt ll. 362-73)
- Cary/Morison Ode: The Turn 65-74
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
- Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy
- Rhyme for a Child Viewing a Naked Venus in a Painting of “The Judgment of Paris”
- The Span of Life
OCTAVE
- A Forsaken Garden (ll. 57-80)
- Beppo: Stanza XLIV
- Even Such is Time
- He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
- Resume
ODE
QUATRAIN
- A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
- Ah! Sun-flower
- Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher
- Eternity
- Heaven-Haven: A Nun Takes the Veil
- Here Dead Lie We
- I Look Into My Glass
- In Memoriam; section 7
- In Tenebris
- Jabberwocky
- On His Blindness
- On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet
- Piano
- Roses Are Red
- Thaw
- The Balloon of the Mind
- The Lowest Place
- The Sick Rose
- The Tyger
- The Voice
- Westron Wynde
- When a Man Hath No Freedom
ROUNDEL
SIXAIN
- A Musical Instrument
- Life of Life (from Prometheus Unbound II.v.48-71)
- Meeting at Night
- My Sweetest Lesbia
- Snow-Flakes
- The Night is Freezing Fast
SONG
SONNET
- Amoretti 75
- Anthem for Doomed Youth
- Astrophil and Stella: 31
- Bright Star
- God’s Grandeur
- Holy Sonnet 1
- Holy Sonnet 14
- Mowing
- Ozymandias
- Renouncement
- Since There’s No Help
- Sonnet 165: “It Is The Fashion Now”
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- Sonnet 73
- Sonnets from the Portuguese #7
- The Sonnet
- To the Reader of these Sonnets
SPENSERIAN STANZA
TERCET
By Author
ANONYMOUS
MATTHEW ARNOLD
WILLIAM BLAKE
ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING
ROBERT BROWNING
LORD BYRON
LORD GEORGE BYRON
THOMAS CAMPION
LEWIS CARROLL
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
EMILY DICKINSON
JOHN DONNE
MICHAEL DRAYTON
ROBERT FROST
THOMAS HARDY
GEORGE HERBERT
ROBERT HERRICK
GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS
A. E. HOUSMAN
SAMUEL JOHNSON
BEN JONSON
JOHN KEATS
WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR
D. H. LAWRENCE
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
W.S. MERWIN
ALICE MEYNELL
EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY
JOHN MILTON
WILFRED OWEN
DOROTHY PARKER
ALEXANDER POPE
- An Essay on Criticism (Excerpt ll. 362-73)
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
WALTER RALEGH
CHRISTINA ROSSETTI
DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
- Chorus (from Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (from Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Lear on the Heath (from King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Prospero Explains (from The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- Sonnet 73
PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY
- Adonais (Stanzas 54-55)
- Life of Life (from Prometheus Unbound II.v.48-71)
- Mont Blanc ll. 1-11
- Ozymandias