About the Poem: In this poem, Blake was offered a rose of great beauty that had he had never seen the month of May bare. But he looks at the flower and says, “I’ve a pretty rose-tree.” He passes on the rose he was given and goes to his own pretty rose tree, he tends to it carefully day and night in hopes that his tree would soon bare pretty roses like those that he was given. But his rose tree became jealous because it couldn’t match the beauty of the other rose tree. Therefore, the thorns on the tree became very sharp to Blake because he tried so to make his rose tree like the flower he had gotten. But the roses on his tree were unable to become as beautiful as the other flower.
My Pretty Rose Tree
William Blake
A flower was offerd to me;
Such a flower as May never bore,
But I said, “I’ve a Pretty Rose-tree,”
And I passed the sweet flower o’er.
Then I went to my Pretty Rose-tree,
To tend to her by day and by night.
But my Rose turned away with jealousy,
And her thorns were my only delight.