Number 89: William Blake "The Tyger"

THE TYGER (from Songs Of Experience)

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 sieze 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 watered 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

Hap Notes: I thought Blake's (1757-1827) tiger would be an interesting contrast to yesterday's Borges poem although Blake's poem has much more in common with Robert Frost's "Design" which we talked about here: happopoemouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/number-7-robert-frost-design_14.html with the big difference being that Blake does not see an innocent creature but a darkly frightening one.

It certainly sounds like Blake is implying a more sinister "creator" for the tiger. Is this more or less frightening than Frost's implication that there is nothing?

Blake is one of those artists everybody said was nuts when he was alive but then got "discovered" by the next generation. He's been influencing poets, painters and rock stars ever since.

We'll talk more about Blake tomorrow but for now you can find more Blake here: www.poetry-archive.com/b/blake_william.html