A Poison Tree

"I was angry with my friend:I told my wrath, my wrath did end.I was angry with my foe:I told it not, my wrath did grow." A Poison Tree is a short poem by William Blake that was originally published in 1794 within Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794). Blake previously wrote Songs of Innocence in 1789 as a contrary to the Songs of Experience, and later published them both together in juxtaposition. This poem is one of only so many that appears in Experience, but does not have an opposing poem in Innocence. William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake's work is today considered seminal and significant in the history of both poetry and the visual arts.