The Garden of Love is a poem by William Blake, published in 1794 as part of his collection Songs of Experience. The poem is usually read as a critique of the institutionalized religion and morality that Blake saw as oppressive and restrictive of human freedom and joy. However, another way to interpret the poem is to see it as a mystical expression of Blake’s vision of the relationship between the human soul and the divine reality.
In this interpretation, the Garden of Love does not represent Blake’s personal childhood innocence and happiness, but rather a universal spiritual experience of connection with the divine and the natural world. The Garden of Love is a symbol of the original state of harmony and bliss that humans enjoyed before they fell into ignorance and separation from their true nature. The Garden of Love is also a symbol of the potential state of union and ecstasy that humans can attain through spiritual awakening and transformation.
The Chapel, on the other hand, represents not only the church and its dogmas, but also the human mind and its limitations. The Chapel is a symbol of the false reality that humans construct through their rationality and morality, which obscures and distorts their perception of the divine reality. The Chapel is also a symbol of the ego and its attachments, which imprison and isolate humans from their true nature.
The poem describes Blake’s journey from the Garden of Love to the Chapel and back again. He begins by saying that he went to the Garden of Love, implying that he had a memory or a longing for that state of being. He then says that he saw what he never had seen: a Chapel was built in the midst, where he used to play on the green. This means that he encountered a new reality that was different from his previous experience. He saw that the Garden of Love was invaded and corrupted by the Chapel and its influence.
He then says that the gates of this Chapel were shut, and “Thou shalt not” writ over the door. This means that he faced a barrier and a prohibition that prevented him from entering or accessing the Garden of Love. He saw that the Chapel imposed its rules and judgments on him, telling him what he should or should not do. He also saw that the Chapel claimed to be the only authority and source of truth, denying or rejecting any other possibility.
He then says that he turned to the Garden of Love, that so many sweet flowers bore. This means that he tried to return or reconnect with his original state of being. He remembered or hoped for the beauty and abundance that the Garden of Love offered him. He also implied that he was not alone in his quest, but that there were many others who shared his desire or vision.
He then says that he saw it was filled with graves, and tomb-stones where flowers should be. This means that he was shocked and saddened by what he found. He saw that the Garden of Love was desecrated and destroyed by the Chapel and its influence. He saw that life and joy were replaced by death and sorrow. He also saw that his own potential and destiny were buried or lost in this situation.
He then says that Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds, and binding with briars his joys and desires. This means that he was oppressed and tormented by the Chapel and its agents. He saw that Priests in black gowns were patrolling and controlling his environment, enforcing their authority and power over him. He also saw that they were binding with briars his joys and desires, which means that they were inflicting pain and suffering on him, as well as suppressing or denying his natural impulses and emotions.
The poem ends with this bleak image, leaving no resolution or hope for Blake or his readers. However, some critics have suggested that there is an implicit message or challenge in Blake’s poem: to resist or transcend the Chapel and its influence, and to reclaim or restore the Garden of Love and its experience. They argue that Blake’s poem is not only a lamentation or a condemnation, but also an invitation or a provocation: to awaken from ignorance and separation, to break free from rationality and morality, to liberate from ego and attachment, to seek for truth and beauty beyond human constructs, to discover one’s true nature beyond human limitations, to unite with one’s divine origin beyond human differences.
In this way, Blake’s poem can be seen as a mystical expression of his vision of the relationship between the human soul and the divine reality, and as a guide or a catalyst for those who share his vision or seek his experience.