sky-lark- Throughout literary history, the skylark has had a wide variety of associations. In medieval times, the lark was the bird which sang hymns at the gates of heaven (Rowland 97-98). Also, the lark was the bird which announced the coming of the day. Closely connected to symbolism is the lark's association with lovers. Since the lark was the bird which heralded the dawn, it also signaled the time for lovers to part (Rowland 99). Because of the bird's boundless energy, Chaucer saw the lark as, "the symbol of hope, happiness, and good luck" (Rowland 99). With the Romantic poets, the lark became "the symbol of spiritual transcendence and of creativity in its highest form" (Rowland 100). Robinson classifies associations with the lark into four categories: the morning lark, the merry lark, the soaring lark, and the low-roosted lark (263). In "The Ecchoing Green," Blake plays upon the first three of these four associations. The morning lark signals the advent of a new day of sport on the green. The merry lark which always sings a song of good cheer implies that the children play fun, carefree games. The soaring lark which flies up to heaven creates religious overtones to the poem which are reinforced by the pealing of the bells which are most likely from a church (Robinson 263). The religious presence in Stanza 1 is very subtle and remains in the background throughout the rest of the poem.