The Garden of Love | Bluecoats (2024)

The Woods (Chick Corea) were all around me as I wandered among the trees amidst the birdsongs and ambient sounds of nature. All at once, I stepped out of the forest and into the enchanting landscape of The Garden of Love (William Blake & Jacob TV), where I had once spent so much blissful time. Surrounded by soaring butterflies, blooming flowers, brilliant colors, and green grass, I was quickly immersed in all that was beautiful. Topiaries and a flourishing greenhouse appeared as the melody of dance enhanced the sights and sounds around me.

I went to the Garden of Love,
And saw what I never had seen:
A Chapel was built in the midst,
Where I used to play on the green.

I celebrated life, freedom, and passion as I contemplated the complexities of the future. In this apparent paradise, I searched for harmony, light and truth. Even as a chapel arose and threatened to contain my spirit, I found myself Finding and Believing (Pat Metheny) in the sacred space that enveloped me.

And the gates of this Chapel were shut,
And 'Thou shalt not' writ over the door;
So I turn'd to the Garden of Love,
That so many sweet flowers bore.

But all was not as it had first appeared. I began to consider the darker side of my youthful idyll. A sinister element intruded, fiery and uncertain. I remembered sadness and found myself haunted, without knowing what the truth is - 45 (Bon Iver). Then, suddenly – Bump (Anna Meredith) – I was jolted from this reverie by a metaphysical darkness that descended upon my world. Light, liberty, and love were supplanted by rules, restrictions, and repression. The delight and satisfaction that came so easily at first were now thwarted by the shrouded figure of convention.

And I saw it was filled with graves,
And tomb-stones where flowers should be:
And Priests in black gowns, were walking their rounds,
And binding with briars, my joys & desires.

And yet, after this time of dark contemplation, the foreboding shadows faded, and a heartwarming lightness crept back into the Garden. The complexity of life was revealed and I realized that it takes pain and sadness melded with joy and beauty to create the complex reality of our world. In fact, So Many Layers of Colour Become a Deep Purple Heart (Edda Magnason) as we navigate our way through life’s earthly garden on our restless quest for happiness.