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William Blake
A major theme of Blake’s poetry is transcendental vision, a way of seeing which goes beyond the
sensory perception of the eyes.
Transcendental perception involves grasping the significance of that which is perceived, and its
connection with the surrounding world.
Blake’s vision sees each of us as part of a larger divine whole rather than as atomized
individuals. Seeing things in this way changes a person’s whole understanding.
In another poem, “Proverbs of Hell”, Blake says that “a fool sees not the same tree as a wise
man sees”.
Blake’s transcendental vision has a deep appreciation for the connections between man and the
natural world, and is a forerunner to contemporary understandings of ecology.
The vision of a large “World” within a tiny “Grain of Sand” also invokes the Greek idea of the
microcosm/macrocosm, which sees the same patterns reproduced in the largest scale (universe)
as the smallest (the sub-atomic level).
If you can see the whole world in a grain of sand (meaning that if you see something tiny, it gives
you a glimpse of somehting greater), you can know the beauty of the heavens by examining the
beauty of a wildflower; perhaps because the flower IS a piece of heaven itself.
Throughout a great portion of this poem, the theme is used of finding big things in little things.
If one examines very closely the colour, texture and patterns of, say, a leaf or a flower, it is
possible, in this single item, to see the millions upon millions of years of evolution that it has
taken to create it. Then it is possible to grasp the significance and rarity of life in this universe,
just by observing this one object.
As Blake said, a wise man and a fool will not see the same tree (or the same leaf in this case)
Romantic poets often used the birds as a symbol of freedom, so for that freedom to be
imprisoned by a cage is against the laws of nature.
By capitalising the Robin and the Cage, Blake is suggesting that this represents all captive
creatures; even imprisoned humans.
the image of a robin red breast – a bird commonly associated with Christmas and with a
Christian holiday at that –
in a cage ‘puts all Heaven in a Rage’, writes Blake; is man, therefore, attempting to enslave
nature?
Or is it a symbol of the caged humanity of man, which Rousseau famously put as ‘man is born
free, and everywhere he is in chains’.
Given the events that were happening around Blake at the time – the French Revolution, the
American Revolution – it is far more likely to be a protest against slavery.
Not only is heaven in a rage, so is hell. The speaker is telling us that any sort of pain causes a
universal response.
One can also take into account that the doves and pigeons referenced are meant to stand for
children – those who are born into a world that they do not rightly understand, and are taken
advantage of by the very people who are supposed to help them, such as the Church, and the
master of the mill, or wherever they worked.
Using two Christians birds – the robin red breast, and the dove – also reminds the reader of
Blake’s opinion on religion; he could very well be drawing an allusion between Christianity and
its oppressive nature through the symbols of the cage and the dove house.
The neglect and starvation of a faithful animal is an omen of bad times. This line can be
interpreted in light of human hierarchy as well. The neglect and starvation of laborers by the
aristocracy will cause unrest, upheaval and “the ruin of the State”. Blake predicted accurately
here.
In this couplet Blake uses an alliterative ‘H’. The effect is for added emphasis. Note that this
poem works well read aloud, with pauses before the key words to slow the pace and add
gravity.
The reference to the ‘Horse misusd’ can also be towards the mistreatment of the working man
by the oppressive mill owner or employer; both are working animals which, if treated fairly,
respond with loyalty. However, in Blake’s Auguries there is no fair treatment.
Every horse misused, every hare hunted, every bird caged, every dog starv’d will slowly tear
fibers of one’s brain–in other words, gradually make one less human.
Again the alliterative ‘w’s in wounded and wing give poetic emphasis. Blake’s capitalisation is
occasionally inconsistent; we might wonder why he doesn’t write 'Wing’.
In this couplet Blake uses percussive hard consonants in ‘Game Cock clipd’ to represent the
cruelty of the sport. Again, if read aloud this is difficult to say, a reflection of the cruelty of cock-
fighting. The result is that even the sun is ‘affright’
In this couplet Blake uses a different poetic device, consonant rhyme in ‘howl’, ‘Hell’ and ‘Soul’.
After the horrific descriptions Blake describes the opposite, a wild deer ‘wandring here and
there’, to illustrate the positive effect on humans of respecting the natural world.
The Lamb misus'd breeds Public Strife
And yet forgives the Butchers knife
Here Blake uses the word in both its literal and symbolic meanings.
The Lamb as Christ is “misusd” by the power structures of organized religion, and thus “breeds
Public Strife”.
The capitalization of “Brain that won’t Believe” may tell us that that is a symbol for an atheist.
This would connect to the previous couplet, wherein the lamb was a symbol for Christ Jesus.
Another thing to take note of is the fact that bats are blind, perhaps the same way atheists are
blind to religion.
Like the previous couplet, an animal is symbolizing the doubt of an atheist. This time, rather
than a bat, the animal is an owl.
The reason why an owl is chosen is most likely because of its stereotypical call of “Who?” Who
governs mankind? Who created this world? Who put us on this Earth?
The image of the ‘little Wren’ is endearing, and therefore represents all vulnerable creatures.
Decent humans are drawn to protect frail creatures and feel hostile to the perpetrators of
cruelty.
One could hardly find a more Gilbertian abusurdity…than the idea that the success of some
gentleman in the society of ladies depends upon whether he has previously at some time or
other slightly irritated an ox"
Perhaps what Blake is saying is that if you start chaos in a peaceful field of oxen, you will not be
loved by humanity in general.
This is more complex than it appears. It’s a quote from ‘King Lear’ spoken by Gloucester;
So, the careless boy who kills a fly will, perversely, enrage the Spider. This inverts our
expectations; even spiders who prey on flies feel protective towards them. So, taken
symbolically it means that even a Hunter or Predator may want to protect the vulnerable.
So far, the cruelty to birds and mammals have been addressed in the previous lines; now cruelty
to insects are being addressed. Blake is getting smaller and smaller; until it gets bigger later.
A bower is a shade created from woven vines and branches; but it also contains a second
meaning: a bower is also an anchor.
If we ruin the spirit of even a mere beetle, a roof of darkness will be woven above you; or you
will be anchored in eternal darkness.
A caterpillar is an image of cocooning (as in the swaddled baby’s clothes) and metamorphosis.
A mother’s grief is the loss of the child as that child grows past each stage into adulthood.
Blake’s respect for the fauna is symptomatic of the romantic movement and he practiced this
respect in his everyday life, as he was a vegetarian. His command not to kill animals is thus also
intended to be taken literally and is not just a symbolic utterance of respect for life and nature.
Blake is saying that training an animal to be cruel is a disturbance of their natural peacefulness
and therefore just as bad as directly abusing one.
“The Polar Bar” may be referencing Homer’s The Odyssey, which claims that the entrance to the
Underworld is in the north.
“The Polar Bar” also may mean “ultimate goal” or “the great heights.”
Blake’s poetry often has eye-rhymes that, in some cases, would’ve rhymed during his time and
in some cases are just ways to cheat: “war” and “bar” are perfect examples of eye-rhymes.
Now Blake is speaking of rewards rather than punishments; if you feed the hungry, you will be
fed as well, spiritually and literally.
These four lines are difficult to interpret. They could be saying that the gnat may sing — as he
does naturally — but may be slandered unjustly. So, this is a command not to commit slander.
Some species of newt and snake are poisonous. This is their natural way; they shouldn’t be
envied or they may be stimulated to strike.
Essentially, these four lines are a warning against the sins of slander and jealousy.
Here, Blake is sharing the similarities between honey bees and artists: both create sweet things,
are graceful, happy, and relaxed. However, even the good things have a dark side: bees sting.
And artists get jealous of other artists.
However, the “poison” is not the sting, but the death of the honey bee that follows it. Keep in
mind that the honey bee is the only species of bee that dies after it stings. If a bee stings, it dies
the same way that if an artist gets jealous, their own work dies.
Some of the lines are pretty weird. This seems to be saying that a Miser, representing all
grasping people, value expensive as well as tattered clothes.
Toadstools are fungus and may also be poisonous. So the message seems to be a warning
against miserliness.
Some lies can be helpful, kind, or white lies. However, truths with bad intents are hypocritical;
Blake believes that using truth for the purpose of evil outdoes the evil of a lie.
An example of an evil truth is if you tell some one they will never win a gold medal, or that they
have low grades, are obese, etc.
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
Unlike the rest of this poem, these four lines are a rhyming quatrain; rather than a rhyming
couplet. Blake is emphasizing these four lines, for they convey one of the main points of this
whole poem, which is essentially:
The next rhyming quatrain expands the previous one. This is saying that the soul must accept
grief, for beneath it will be joy. Blake uses a metaphor of clothing for the soul, from which both
emotions are valuable; therefore ‘silken twine’.
Blake is using common sense that even “every Farmer Understands” as a message here. Tools
are made, and hands are born. But tools are made for the sake of utility, the same way our
hands and rest of our body are. The body performs the tasks that our souls assign them; and
though the body can die and decay, the soul lives on.
This is another rather weird quartet of lines. It seems to be saying that tears are like baby’s
eternal souls; they will always exist, but women — or mothers — will capture and nurture them
and dry them.
Rather than addressing animals, the noises they make are being addressed too. Blake is saying
that even a simple noise made by an animal can affect worlds no one can imagine, or at least
travel a long way.
Stepping away from animal abuse, Blake is addressing something humans would have much
more strong emotion for: child abuse. Even a simple beating of a child can lead to the child to
grow up and “write revenge”, or hurt others or even the child’s own children. The “revenge”
could also mean that the parent will suffer the same agony, too.
Blake was insightful in this respect, understanding the type of child psychology we accept today,
and recognising the cycle of abuse.
Though the soldier is armed with weapons that kills he ‘strikes the 'Summers Sun’, but it is
ineffective. His actions are neutralised by the fact that he is ‘palsied’; meaning paralysed. In
effect weapons can’t destroy the cosmos.
A farthing is an old monetary unit, withdrawn in 1961, that is worth one fourth of a penny. Blake
believes that a single farthing is worth more to a poor man than all the gold in Africa to the
more fortunate. This farthing could buy a poor man some bread in order to survive, whereas
superfluous gold for the rich is not the difference between life and death.
This also implies the worth of a poor man is no less than anyone else.
These four lines indicate that a minute amount of money made by a poor labourer is, in moral
terms, worth enough to buy the land of an acquisitive person or even a Nation.
It is immoral to tell a child that they will one day grow old and die, regardless of how truthful it
is. It is also unjust to tell a child that faeries aren’t real, or Santa Claus does not exist. This ties
back to the “Truth that’s told with bad intent”.
This suggests that those who undermine childhood faith, even if they are illusions, shall suffer
their own spiritual death.
This is parallel to the couplet that came before – the man who teaches children to believe will
never die.
The Childs Toys & the Old Mans Reasons
Are the Fruits of the Two seasons
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the
heaven:"
Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to reap"
Blake doesn’t believe that “reason” is superior, as a child’s play is a natural expression of the
same understanding in different terms, appropriate to that life stage.
Rather than containing a proverb or metaphor, this line is an outright insult, or at least a very
strong opinion. Blake never had a taste for questioners, who always challenged things without
ever trying to find an answer. He even called them idiots in his poem Milton:
This is in effect saying ‘don’t pander to doubters’ or questionners, or you’ll stifle ‘knowledge’. It
is, in effect, a warning to avoid cynicism.
The ancient Romans crowned victorious conquerors; Julius Caesar being one of the most
famous.
This is saying that war-like armour may deform the human body, just as war ‘deforms’
humanity.
The idea of the ‘iron brace’ is particularly harsh, suggesting hardness and inflexibility.
When Gold & Gems adorn the Plow
To peaceful Arts shall Envy Bow
This places value on the ‘plow’, meaning agriculture, and the peace that comes tilling the land.
Text Explanation
Blake does not believe so. One must have a system of belief; one cannot get through life
without it, and he shows that everyone, from the philosopher, to the layman, has a system of
belief; even nature itself believes in greater things.
This might be a dig at the scientific ideas of the French Revolution, where there was no greater
thought than the destruction of religion.
“Emmet” is an archaic name for an ant. Emmets are small and close to the ground, whereas
eagles soar miles above.
Blake believes that in comparison, philosophy is lame; maybe because philosophers think rather
than do (though Blake himself was a philosopher).
Text
Explanation
Blake wasn’t forgiving with all people – he despised prostitution and gambling, and saw them as
the downfall of the nation. Here, Blake thinks that the small corruptions will ultimately ruin
England itself. By allowing prostitution and gambling, one is setting up the irreversible fate of
England.
“Harlot” is an archaic term for “prostitute”. A “winding sheet” is a sheet wrapped around a dead
body before burial. Even the littlest cry of despair can kill a nation.
“Cry” refers to calling out, not to weeping. The allusion is to syphilis, an endemic cause of illness,
insanity and death until the discovery of penicillin. Blake blames not the harlot, but her
exploiters, who have cynically perverted true love
Text
Explanation
This is a harsh philosopohy, indicating that it is a matter of chance that some are fortunate and
some suffer. However, Blake emphasises ‘sweet delight’ by repeating it, as if it there is more joy
in life than suffering. And then, at the end of the poem, he asserts that God will appear to those
born to misery.
Nothing is set in stone. Although one day you may be unhappy, the next you might be happy.
Blake therefore does not want the reader to despair; there is a better life ahead.
Text
Explanation
This may mean that those who have good fortune — or ‘Dwell in Realms of day’ — will not see
God, but only perceive an ordinary human.
An alternative meaning is that God in the form of Christ appears to the fortunate in order to
redeem them.
As one student commented; ‘this poem is a bit weird.’ For all its imaginative originality and
worthy morality, many will agree with another student who thought that ‘Blake got a bit carried
away’!
Blake’s ultimate few lines are a reiteration of the belief in God, which saves: we are born in a
dark place, and we might die in that dark place, however at the end of our lives, we will come to
terms with God, and things will be made better.