Page 2 - CH-8-THE ECHOING GREEN-MM AND NOTES

SUMMARY/NOTES

The Echoing green-Explanation

The Echoing Green" by William Blake, taken from his "Songs of Innocence", is a beautiful short
poem. Blake expresses the joy and innocence of the children’s early experience of life. "The

Echoing Green" begins with a short description of a grassy field on a warm day in spring.
The sun shines brightly. The sky looks beautiful. Pleasant sounds of bells come from the nearby
church. Song birds sing cheerfully. The sounds of bells and the songs of the birds merge into a
beautiful melody worthy of the season of spring The old people of the village sit under the trees
in the green while, on the green, young innocent children play their favourite games.
The children are happy and excited. They have not yet tasted the grief and disappointment
that life will bring them in later years. They are young and healthy. The beautiful village green,

the birds and the spring are all theirs.
The old people watch their children play happily on the green and think of the. nappy days of
their childhood They, too, had played on the same green and had their share of joy and
excitement which only young children can experience. Then the evening comes. Children grow

tired. They return home to, rest in the laps of their sisters and mothers.
This poem describes a scene on a grassy field. During the day
it is filled with the noises of the children playing different

sports and games. When the sun sets, it becomes dark and lonely.
In these lines the poet says that an old man John with grey hair is sitting under the oak tree.
Some other old men and women are also sitting there. They are watching the children at play.
They want to forget their worries by sharing the joys of the children. During the day it is filled

with noises of the children. Old men and women watch the children at play.
They want to forget their worries by sharing the joys of the children. In these lines the joy of
childhood is contrasted with the gloomy old age in the form of sunset when the grassy field
becomes the "darkening green. The poet says that the children continue to play on the grassy
field till late in the evening.
The sun begins to set and the tired children return to their homes. They have enjoyed

themselves to their fill by playing different sports and games.
At home they have rest and sleep in the company of their brothers and sisters. They seem to be
like birds who have returned to their nests. The echoing green looks deserted and gloomy in

the darkness of the evening.