A Poison Tree

William Blake
 METER
• Trochaic trimeter (prevailing)

• Iambic tetrameter (substitutions)

• End-stopped lines (prevailing)

 / X / X / X /
1I was angry with my friend; (trochaic trimeter + catalexis)
Unstressed syllable is dropped at the end of the line to signify disruption of rhythm and
end the line on a stressed syllable. It occurs throughout the poem.
X / X / X / X /
2I told my wrath, my wrath did end. (iambic tetrameter, substitution)
“Wrath” is repeated instead of “it” to achieve the iambic tetrameter.
Substitution or inversion of meter occurs to signify contrast. Friend vs Foe; Trochee vs
Iamb.
3I was angry with my foe:

4I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I water’d it in fears,
“Water’d” is used to signify that it is two syllables only and the last one should not
be stressed.
Night & morning with my tears:

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night.

Till it bore an apple bright.

“An apple bright” is used instead of “a bright apple” to achieve rhyme
and trochee.
And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine.

And into my garden stole, “And he stole into my garden,”
The above line is used to achieve trochaic trimeter and rhyme.

When the night had veild the pole;

“Veild” is used to emphasize that it is a single syllable only.

In the morning glad I see; “I gladly see in the morning;”

The above line is used to achieve trochaic trimeter and rhyme.

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

Sources
• https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/poison-tree-by-william-
blake-how-prevailing-meter-179267

• https://oyc.yale.edu/sites/default/files/meterhandout_0.pdf

• https://www.shmoop.com/poison-tree/poem-text.html