William Blake Poems: William Blake was one of the greatest and most popular poets in English Literature. He was an extraordinary poet during the Romantic era in England. William Blake plays a vital role in the growth of the English poetry. The theme of his poems mostly revolves around social issues and religious beliefs. William Blake was a very religious man and also was a social reformer.
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1-William Blake Poems: The Tyger
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?
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?
Explanation :
The poem “The Tyger” is one of the most famous William Blake poems. The poem revolves around the themes of the co-existing of both good and evil in this world. The tiger is the main character of the poem which symbolizes good and evil in this. The poet portrays the tiger as the beauty of nature as well as the fearsome animal.
What is the most famous Wiliam Blake book?
Songs of Innocence and Experience is the most famous Wiliam Blake book.
2- The Chimney Sweeper
When my mother died I was very young,
And my father sold me while yet my tongue
Could scarcely cry ” ‘weep! ‘weep! ‘weep!”
So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.
There’s little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head
That curled like a lamb’s back, was shaved, so I said,
“Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head’s bare,
You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.”
And so he was quiet, and that very night,
As Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight!
That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack,
Were all of them locked up in coffins of black.
And by came an angel who had a bright key,
And he opened the coffins and set them all free;
Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing, they run,
And wash in a river, and shine in the sun.
Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,
They rise upon clouds and sport in the wind;
And the angel told Tom, if he’d be a good boy,
He’d have God for his father, and never want joy.
And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark,
And got with our bags and our brushes to work.
Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm:
So, if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.
Explanation :
The poem “The Chimney Sweeper” is a part of the collection “Song of Innocence”. “The Chimney Sweeper” is a narrative poem that describes the life of a small-age chimney sweeper, his father sold him in the market after his mother’s death the poem shows the hard life of the boy as a chimney sweeper. He wants to get freedom from his cruel life and dreams of a bright and joyful future.
what is the theme of William Blake’s Poems?
Romanticism is the theme of William Blake’s Poems
3-William Blake Poems: Auguries of Innocence
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
A Robin Red breast in a Cage
Puts all Heaven in a Rage.
A dove house fill’d with doves & Pigeons
Shudders Hell thr’ all its regions.
A dog starv’d at his Master’s Gate
Predicts the ruin of the State.
A Horse misus’d upon the Road
Calls to Heaven for Human blood.
Each outcry of the hunted Hare
A fibre from the Brain does tear.
A Skylark wounded in the wing,
A Cherubim does cease to sing.
The Game Cock clipp’d & arm’d for fight
Does the Rising Sun affright.
Every Wolf’s & Lion’s howl
Raises from Hell a Human Soul.
The wild deer, wand’ring here & there,
Keeps the Human Soul from Care.
The Lamb misus’d breeds Public Strife
And yet forgives the Butcher’s Knife.
The Bat that flits at close of Eve
Has left the Brain that won’t Believe.
The Owl that calls upon the Night
Speaks the Unbeliever’s fright.
He who shall hurt the little Wren
Shall never be belov’d by Men.
He who the Ox to wrath has mov’d
Shall never be by Woman lov’d.
The wanton Boy that kills the Fly
Shall feel the Spider’s enmity.
He who torments the Chafer’s sprite
Weaves a Bower in endless Night.
The Catterpillar on the Leaf
Repeats to thee thy Mother’s grief.
Kill not the Moth nor Butterfly,
For the Last Judgment draweth nigh.
He who shall train the Horse to War
Shall never pass the Polar Bar.
The Beggar’s Dog & Widow’s Cat,
Feed them & thou wilt grow fat.
The Gnat that sings his Summer’s song
Poison gets from Slander’s tongue.
The poison of the Snake & Newt
Is the sweat of Envy’s Foot.
The poison of the Honey Bee
Is the Artist’s Jealousy.
The Prince’s Robes & Beggars’ Rags
Are Toadstools on the Miser’s Bags.
A truth that’s told with bad intent
Beats all the Lies you can invent.
It is right it should be so;
Man was made for Joy & Woe;
And when this we rightly know
Thro’ the World we safely go.
Joy & Woe are woven fine,
A Clothing for the Soul divine;
Under every grief & pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.
The Babe is more than swadling Bands;
Every Farmer understands.
Every Tear from Every Eye
Becomes a Babe in Eternity.
This is caught by Females bright
And return’d to its own delight.
The Bleat the Bark bellow & Roar
Are Waves that Beat on Heaven’s Shore.
The Babe that weeps the Rod beneath
Writes Revenge in realms of Death.
The Beggars Rags fluttering in Air
Does to Rags the Heavens tear.
The Soldier arm’d with Sword & Gun
Palsied strikes the Summers Sun.
The poor Man’s Farthing is worth more
Than all the Gold on Afric’s Shore.
One Mite wrung from the Lab’rer’s hands
Shall buy & sell the Miser’s Lands:
Or if protected from on high
Does that whole Nation sell & buy.
He who mocks the Infant’s Faith
Shall be mock’d in Age & Death.
He who shall teach the Child to Doubt
The rotting Grave shall ne’er get out.
He who respects the Infant’s faith
Triumphs over Hell & Death.
The Child’s Toys & the Old Man’s Reasons
Are the Fruits of the Two Seasons.
The Questioner who sits so sly
Shall never know how to Reply.
He who replies to words of Doubt
Doth put the Light of Knowledge out.
The Strongest Poison ever known
Came from Caesar’s Laurel Crown.
Nought can Deform the Human Race
Like to the Armour’s iron brace.
When Gold & Gems adorn the Plow
To peaceful Arts shall Envy Bow.
A Riddle or the Cricket’s Cry
Is to Doubt a fit Reply.
The Emmet’s Inch & Eagle’s Mile
Make boring Philosophy to smile.
He who Doubts from what he sees
Will ne’er Believe do what you Please.
If the Sun & Moon should Doubt
They’d immediately Go out.
To be in a Passion you Good may Do
But no Good if a Passion is in you.
The Whore & Gambler by the State
Licenc’d build that Nation’s Fate.
The Harlot’s cry from Street to Street
Shall weave Old England’s winding Sheet.
The Winner’s Shout the Loser’s Curse
Dance before dead England’s Hearse.
Every Night & every Morn
Some to Misery are Born.
Every Morn & every Night
Some are Born to sweet delight.
Some are Born to Endless Night.
Explanation :
The poem “Auguries of Innocence” is a poem that contains the problems and complexities of human life. The poem shows the contrast between joy and woe, good and evil. The poet says that there is a hidden meaning in every little thing that happens around you. The poem encourages readers to find happiness in every little thing that happens around them.
Why is William Blake called the Visionary Poet?
William Blake was called the Visionary Poet because of his vision of angels, God, and Goddess.
4- The Clod and the Pebble
Love seeketh not itself to please,
Nor for itself hath any care,
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair.”
So sung a little Clod of Clay,
Trodden with the cattle’s feet;
But a Pebble of the brook
Warbled out these metres meet:
“Love seeketh only Self to please,
To bind another to its delight,
Joys in another’s loss of ease,
And builds a Hell in Heaven’s despite.
Explanation :
The poem “The Clod and the Pebble” is a poem that explores the theme of complex human emotions. In this poem, the poet shows mixed emotions towards love. In the first stanza, the poet says that love is sacrificing happiness for each other, and in the second stanza the poet says that love is self-centered and possessive. The poet invites the readers to consider different ways to explore love.
5-William Blake Poems: London
I wander thro’ each charter’d street,
Near where the charter’d Thames does flow,
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.
In every cry of every Man,
every Infants cry of fear,
In every voice: in every ban,
The mind-forg’d manacles I hear
How the Chimney-sweepers cry
Every blackning Church appalls,
And the hapless Soldiers sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls
But most thro’ midnight streets I hear
How the youthful Harlots curse
Blasts the new born Infants tear
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.
Explanation :
The poem “London” paints a portrait of London in the 18th century. The poems show the miserable and pathetic image of London and the suffering of the ordinary people of the city. The theme of the poem is restrictions and oppression. The poem serves as an impactful critique of social justice and the moral decay of society.
6- The Argument
Rintrah roars and shakes his fires in the burdened air;
Hungry clouds swag on the deep.
Once meek, and in a perilous path,
The just man kept his course along
The vale of death.
Roses are planted where thorns grow,
And on the barren heath
Sing the honey bees.
Then the perilous path was planted
And a river and a spring
On every cliff and tomb;
And on the bleached bones
Red clay brought forth.
Till the villain left the paths of ease,
To walk in perilous paths, and drive
The just man into barren climes.
Now the sneaking serpent walks
In mild humility,
And the just man rages in the wilds
Where lions roam.
Rintrah roars and shakes his fires in the burdened air;
Hungry clouds swag on the deep.
Explanation :
The poem revolves around the wife’s desire for freedom and her husband’s jealousy, leading to a heated argument. The husband’s possessive nature and suspicion drive a wedge between them, highlighting the destructive power of jealousy in intimate relationships.
Who started the Romantic movement?
William Blake started the Romantic Movement.
7- A Poison Tree
I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I waterd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night.
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.
And into my garden stole,
When the night had veild the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My foe was outstretched beneath the tree.
Explanation :
The poem tells the story of a speaker who is angry with a friend. When the speaker expresses their anger openly, the anger dissipates, and the friendship remains intact. However, when the speaker harbors the anger without expressing it, it grows into a metaphorical “poison tree.”
8- The Garden of Love
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.
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.
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.
Explanation :
The poem explores themes of repression, control, and the loss of spontaneity due to the restrictive influence of institutionalized beliefs. He critiques the way organized religion stifles human expression and spontaneity, portraying it as a force that hinders the free exploration of life.
9- The Sick Rose
O Rose, thou art sick!
The invisible worm
That flies in the night,
In the howling storm,
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy,
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy?
Explanation :
“The Sick Rose” is a compact and enigmatic poem that explores themes of innocence, corruption, and the destructive nature of a hidden force. The rose in the poem serves as a symbol of natural beauty and purity, while the invisible worm represents a sinister, unseen force that preys on it.
10- Jerusalem
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England’s green & pleasant Land.
Explanation :
“Jerusalem” is one of William Blake’s best-known and most anthologized poems. The poem is both visionary and patriotic, presenting a symbolic and spiritual vision of England and the quest to build a new and divine Jerusalem in the midst of a society marked by industrialization and corruption. The poem has inspired various musical adaptations, most notably Sir Hubert Parry’s setting in the hymn “Jerusalem,” which has become a widely recognized and beloved piece.
11- The Ghost of a Flea
Little Fly,
Thy summer’s play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away.
Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?
For I dance
And drink & sing;
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.
If thought is life
And strength & breath,
And the want
Of thought is death;
Then am I
A happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die.
Explanation :
“The Ghost of a Flea” is a unique and intriguing poem by William Blake, accompanied by his distinctive illustration of the creature. The poem is written from the perspective of a little fly, addressing another fly and contemplating the similarities between the speaker and the addressed creature.
12- Never Seek to Tell Thy Love
Never seek to tell thy love,
Love that never told can be;
For the gentle wind doth move
Silently, invisibly.
I told my love, I told my love,
I told her all my heart,
Trembling, cold, in ghastly fears—
Ah, she did depart!
Soon after she was gone from me,
A traveller came by,
Silently, invisibly—
He took her with a sigh.
Explanation :
In “Never Seek to Tell Thy Love,” Blake delves into the pain of unspoken love and the consequences of expressing one’s feelings. The poem captures the emotional turmoil and heartache associated with unrequited love. Blake’s use of concise language and vivid imagery evokes a sense of melancholy and resignation, reflecting the complexities of human emotions and the unpredictable nature of love.
There are some of the best William Blake Poems with Explanation. Stay tuned for more updates and pomes.