Blake attributes the cause of the rose's sickness to an enemy, an invisible worm. Flowers are often put in hospital rooms to bring cheer to patients who are ill. The fact that the rose is merely sick, and not dying, suggests hope. Recovery from sickness is possible if the ill party can be separated from the source of disease and restored to health.
The source of disease, in Blake's poem, is the worm. It flies and it is invisible. A footnote to Blake's poem explains that the "worm" refers to the scarab beetle, not the common earthworm of modern times. A beetle can fly, but it is not invisible. Here, Blake probably refers to the consequences of the beetle that are invisible. The footnote describes the smell of the rose as fatal to the beetle, but Blake claims that it is the beetle that can be potentially fatal to the rose, "And his dark secret love does thy life destroy" (Blake 800).
The rose is probably symbolic of sexuality. Further, a feminine aspect is clear. The rose is the most beautiful of all flower species. Roses symbolize romance and
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