English lesson

English lesson

The Sick Rose by William Blacke

"O Rose thou art sick. 

The invisible worm, 

That flies in the night 

In the howling storm: 

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy:

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy."

Meaning

While the rose exists as a beautiful natural object that has become infected by a worm, it also exists as a literary rose, the conventional symbol of love. ... The rose is sick, and the poem implies that love is sick as well. Yet the rose is unaware of its sickness.

Multiple Choice

What is the meaning of the poetry?

• the rose exists as a beautiful natural object

• the rose is an animal

• the rose is a cat

• the rose is a horse