The Garden of Love

The poem contains much assonance (repetition of sounds) and alliteration (repetition of letters at the beginnings of words), and these contribute to its simple and childlike sound and rhythm in the first and second stanzas. The soft sounds of the “w” in “went,” “saw,” “what,” “was,” “where,” and “were” (Lines 1-5, 9-11), in addition to the open, flowing vowel sounds of /o/ in “flowers” and “bore” (Lines 8, 10) add to the pleasant and welcoming image of the garden. These sounds contrast with the short vowels in the three monosyllabic words in the direct command “Thou shalt not” (Line 6). This phrase with its many consonants, the repetition of the hard /t/, and its sudden ending constitutes a violent image corresponding to the strict and punishing nature of the chapel and its directives.

In the last line, the assonance of the sound of the long /i/ in “binding,” “briars,” “my,” and “desires” (Line 12) creates an impression of the heaviness and sadness of the speaker as they come to fully realize the extent of the influence of the church.

Polysyndeton is the repetition of conjunctions in close succession. The use of the word “And” at the beginning of the lines builds up over the poem. In the first stanza it is used once, then twice in the second, and finally on all four lines in the third. The effect of this is to reinforce the idea of the multiple negative effects and also of the many oppressing rules and restrictions imposed by the church. Without its continuous exhortations, the impression gained is of the impossibility of escape, and of the relentless drudgery of following a strict religion.