๐ฟ THE SCHOOL BOY — William Blake
I love to rise on a summer morn,
When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman winds his horn,
And the skylark sings with me:
O what sweet company!
But to go to school in a summer morn,
O it drives all joy away;
Under a cruel eye outworn,
The little ones spend the day,
In sighing and dismay.
Ah then at times I drooping sit,
And spend many an anxious hour;
Nor in my book can I take delight,
Nor sit in learning’s bower,
Worn through with the dreary shower.
How can the bird that is born for joy,
Sit in a cage and sing?
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring!
O Father and Mother, if buds are nipp’d,
And blossoms blown away;
And if the tender plants are stripp’d
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and cares dismay—
How shall the summer arise in joy,
Or the summer fruits appear?
๐ STANZA–WISE EXPLANATION
Stanza 1
“I love to rise on a summer morn…”
- The boy loves waking up on a warm summer morning.
- Birds sing joyfully, the huntsman blows his horn, and the skylark sings.
- Nature feels happy, alive, and full of freedom.
Meaning:
The boy enjoys nature and feels natural happiness when he is free.
Stanza 2
“But to go to school in a summer morn…”
- The moment he is forced to go to school, his joy disappears.
- At school, he feels watched by a “cruel eye” (the strict teacher).
- Children spend the day sighing, unhappy and stressed.
Meaning:
Strict schooling destroys the natural joy of children.
Stanza 3
“Ah then at times I drooping sit…”
- He feels tired, sad, and worried at school.
- He cannot enjoy reading or learning.
- The school feels like a depressing place, not joyful.
Meaning:
Children cannot learn happily when they are sad, stressed, or scared.
Stanza 4
“How can the bird that is born for joy…”
- A bird born to fly and sing cannot be happy in a cage.
- Similarly, a child cannot be joyful if he is filled with fear.
- His natural excitement for life disappears.
Meaning:
Children need freedom and happiness to grow, not fear or pressure.
Stanza 5
“O Father and Mother, if buds are nipp’d…”
- If young buds are destroyed early, they cannot grow into flowers.
- If tender plants lose joy in spring, they will grow weak.
Meaning:
If children lose their happiness in childhood, their future will be damaged.
Stanza 6
“How shall the summer arise in joy…”
- If childhood (spring) is ruined, adulthood (summer) cannot be joyful.
- Their future success and happiness will suffer.
Meaning:
A joyful childhood is the foundation of a joyful future.
๐ Overall Meaning
- Blake says children should learn with joy, not fear.
- Strict, joyless schooling harms the natural growth of a child.
- Childhood is like spring—full of new energy.
- If this joy is destroyed, the child’s whole life gets affected.
๐ Moral of the Poem
- Children need freedom, joy, and a friendly learning environment.
- Pressure and strictness destroy creativity and happiness.
- Protect childhood—it shapes the child's futu
