“Pipe a song about a Lamb;”
Here, the lamb is also a mystic symbol. It symbolizes Jesus Christ, for its gentleness.
Similarly, in “Introduction” to Songs of Experience, the Bard (poet) plays the role of a prophet who sees the past, present, and future. He calls upon the Earth to awaken and reclaim its spiritual light. He urges humanity to reconnect with the divine.
The Lamb: In “The Lamb” from Songs of Innocence, the lamb symbolizes innocence, purity, and the gentle side of God. The lamb also represents the beauty of God’s creation. The child speaker describes the beauty of the lamb—its soft wool and tender voice. The child acknowledges that God made the lamb. The child says:
“Little Lamb who made thee
Gave thee clothing of delight,”
The child speaker feels a spiritual connection to the lamb. The child understands that both the lamb and humanity are part of God’s plan. This shows Blake’s belief in the unity of creation and the divine.
The Tiger: In “The Tyger” from Songs of Experience, the tiger is a powerful and mysterious symbol. It represents strength, danger, and the darker side of creation. While the lamb shows that God is gentle, kind, and loving, the tiger shows a different side of God. The tiger represents God’s power, strength, and ability to create fierce and frightening things. The poem asks how the same God who made the gentle lamb could create the fierce tiger—
“Did he who made the Lamb make thee?”
This shows Blake’s idea that both good and evil come from the same divine source.
Dreams in The Chimney Sweeper: In “The Chimney Sweeper” from Songs of Innocence, mystical elements are present in the dream of the little sweep, Tom Dacre. In the dream, an angel appears and sets the boys free from “coffins of black”. It represents the harsh and deadly working conditions of the chimney sweepers. The angel leads the boys to a heavenly world with green fields and rivers. On a surface level, the poem suggests that if the boys behave “good,” accept their suffering, and do their job, they will go to heaven. On a deeper level, Blake exposes that organized religion sells false promises of heaven—to get people to accept the hardships in life.
The little sweep of the “The Chimney Sweeper” (Songs of Experience) knows full well that the Church (organized religion) is a form of oppression, not salvation. The child knows how the Church and society force poor children to clean chimneys—so that the rich can live comfortably. The little sweep sorrowfully says:
“They clothed me in the clothes of death,
And taught me to sing the notes of woe.”
Holy Thursday: In “Holy Thursday” from Songs of Innocence, Blake depicts children as “flowers of London” to show their beauty and innocence. Their songs rise to heaven. It symbolizes their connection to God. However, in the Songs of Experience version, darker images like “eternal winter” show the suffering of poor children. Blake uses these symbols to criticize society’s neglect of the poor children.
In conclusion, Blake’s poems are rich with mystic elements like the lamb, the tiger, angels, and flowers. These symbols reveal deep truths about the divine, human struggles, and the balance of good and evil. Blake’s poetry shows divine mystery in all aspects of life, even in struggle and suffering.
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