In his Songs of Innocence, William Blake wrote the poem “The Lamb“. It tells of an innocent, cuddly lamb and its equally beautiful creator. Today, we explore the the sequel to that poem from his much darker chapter, Songs of Experience.
“The Tyger”
by William Blake
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!
When the stars threw down their spears
And water’d heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
“The Tyger” has an enrapturing rhyme and varying levels of depth that makes it great for all ages. It describes the tiger as fire in the night, which is simply wonderful imagery tied to a catchy rhyme. It also describes the tiger as terrifying and fierce, through the implication that its creator must be fearless. He asks, who could twist the strings of the tigers heart together and still be around when it begins to beat? Was it the same guy who made that cuddly little lamb? Blake’s sequel takes the position of an experienced person, who has lost their optimism. The contrast in perspectives between Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience make his poetry enlightening to read.
Furthermore, William Blake tied his poetry into other artistic works. He actually invented relief-etching, which is a method of printing he used for many of his poems. You can see the bright burning tiger and the night blanketed forest in the Blake Archive. Many plates of his other works are there as well.