My Pretty Rose-Tree. Songs of Experience. William Blake. 1908. The Poetical Works

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William Blake (1757–1827). The Poetical Works. 1908.

Songs of Experience

My Pretty Rose-Tree


A FLOWER 1 was offer’d to me,
Such a flower as May never bore;
But I said ‘I’ve a pretty Rose-tree,’
And I passèd the sweet flower o’er.

Then I went to my pretty Rose-tree,	5
To tend her by day and by night,
But my Rose turn’d away with jealousy,
And her thorns were my only delight.

Note 1. My Pretty Rose-Tree] Title wtg. in MS. 6 In the silence of the night MS. 1st rdg. del. her] it MS. 2nd rdg. 7 turn’d away with jealousy] was turnèd from me MS. 1st rdg. del. and replaced by was fillèd with jealousy. 5–8 Blake’s first version of this stanza may perhaps be preferred to that of the engraved Songs:

Then I went to my pretty rose-tree

In the silence of the night

But my rose was turnèd from me,

And her thorns were my only delight.

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