Ah Sunflower

Ah Sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun;
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller's journey is done;

Where the Youth pined away with desire,
And the pale virgin shrouded in snow,
Arise from their graves, and aspire
Where my Sunflower wishes to go!

William Blake

 

Firstly, William Blake uses "Sunflower" capitalized, so the readers know that it is not just an object, but a string of life. It is a being, in some ways, and possesses the same amount of meaning and importance as a person. The Sunflower is "weary of time" or is in knowledge that it is going to die soon (as flowers to die after a short matter of time) and is not ready to because it has not fulfilled its purpose. The Sunflower, in the next line, is said to "countest" the steps of the sun. This probably suggests that Sunflower is counting the steps to the sun,  waiting for a specific response from the sun. It is revealed in the next line that Sunflower is waiting for the sweet golden clime to end, in order to see the result of the ending journey. In other words, the ending journey will take place in the night, when the golden clime is gone, which is interesting because night is generally seen as something evil and negative, while being done with a journey seems like an accomplishment.

In the second stanza, "Youth" is capitalized, like Sunflower. The speaker says Youth is pined away with desire. Pined means to suffer in because of a broken heart, suggesting that Youth's desire only causes pain and misery, creating an oxymoron. The speaker clashes two opposite forces in order to convey that misery can be found in the best of things. The speaker goes on to say "And the pale virgin shrouded in snow". "Pale" is close to white, which means pure, along with virgin which a symbol of purity as well. But snow means cold and misery, meaning that the virgins are in pain and are not rewarded for their goodness. It is also important to take notice of "shrouded" because a shroud is something that is wrapped around somebody in burial. The virgins, though pure, are slowly dying because of the corruptness. In the next line, it is revealed that these groups of people are dead, either spiritually or literally. They arise from their graves, which is negative and dark, and "aspire" (the need to achieve something) the same place the sunflower, a symbol of purity and happiness, wishes to go. This place could many things, including Hell because it has to do with the dead, the dark, and the end of time.