In the poem ” To the Evening Star ” , the poet has been able to show the duality of nature in a very effective way. ( Benign and the threatening , beauty and mystery ). How does he do it? Explain referring closely to the poem.
The poem ” To the Evening Star “ is a nature poem. It is written by William Blake. This is an ode. The speaker is praying to the evening star. This is a sonnet. They are praising songs. Here the poet uses the archaic language. The poet has been able to show the duality of nature.
In this poem the poet says the evening star is smiling on evening beds. She likes to see our loves because it is very kind and loving. The poet doesn’t mention the evening star as a planet or goddess Venus but we remind the goddess when we read the poem. So the poet is successful in his work.
The evening star is very generous. We can see it when the poet says that the star is giving dew to the earth. Dew symbolises water. The star makes the earth fertile. It gives us the tropical environment , water and it controls the wind and light. These things help people to get a fertile harvest. So people believe that the Goddess gives them that harvest. This shows the generousness of the evening star. The poet mentions that the star gives dew. Water brings the fertility. When people get happy and think the star is looking at us , at that time she is happy about us as a goddess. Nature also does this.
” Thou fair – hair’d angel ”
That line shows us the beauty of the evening star. Fair hair’d angel means the poet has compared the star to the Goddess Venus and she is very beautiful. The evening star is a part of nature. So the poet tries to say that the nature is beautiful. He says the Goddess is wearing a bright crown. It shows that the evening star is bright and colorful and the poet is trying to show the beauty of the environment.
After the evening star withdraws the evil comes out. In the poem wolf and lion symbolise the danger and evilness. The evening star is scattering silver dew to protect the earth from evil. Nature also has two sides. It can protect us sometimes and punish us when it wants. That is the other aspect of nature. The evening star’s actions symbolise the nature’s actions.
When the evening star is shining in the sky , it scatters silver dew on flowers and flock of sheep. Dew is compared to Holy Water by the poet. It can protect people and innocent animals from danger. In the poem the evening star is the one who scatters those sacred dew to protect us. So the poet tries to tell us that the Goddess Venus is the one who protects us from evil. The Goddess has empathized innocents. Nature also protects innocents and punishes the unkind , cruel ones by using hurricanes , bolts and tsunamis.
In the poem we can see the evening star can make a better atmosphere. The evening star brings cool , comfortable , soft lights and also control the wind when it wants. Nature is doing the same. It can give us comfortable life and also make a good atmosphere. It can bring harmony to the world. And also in the poem we find mysterious things. One of them is dun forest. We know evil comes out from it but we don’t know what is there , is it full of danger or that mysterious thing could destroy us. So it shows the mystery of nature. We also don’t know what will happen or what will not happen. So this shows the mysterious part of the life and nature.
So by all these points I think the poet shows that the duality of nature in a very effective way by using kindness , evilness , beauty and mystery of the nature. All these qualities in nature and the poet proves it successfully by using the poem ‘ To the Evening Star ‘.