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?
WILLIAM BLAKE
Songs of innocence, songs of experience, Man’s struggle with a Maker, who is at once benevolent, and also jealous, and tyrannical - these were his themes, portrayed deeply in layers of both innocence and experience, questioning, and expressing. He portrays, the bliss of innocence, and childhood, and he is obviously very critical of his age that bound man, and shackled his expression of joy. His themes are romantic, which means Man’s striving to break free, and the conflicts with both the Maker, and the society around him. Yet, his poems are supremely crafted and shows all these themes in profound perception and wholeness, revealing both the innocence and experience.