William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and of Experience"

It has been a very busy day today. I will post in the order I completed the challenges.

During my lunch break today, I finished reading William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and of Experience". Most people probably know William Blake for his poem "The Tyger" which comes from the book Songs of Experience. However, there are three more other poems from his book that resonated with me more:

The Clod and the Pebble
Love seeketh not itself to please.
Not for itself hath any care;
But for another gives its ease
And Builds a heaven in hell's despair

So sang a little clod of clay
trodden with the cattles 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 lots of ease
And builds a hell in heaven's despite.

I think this poem begins like 1 Corinthians in the bible and ends with the opposite sentiment. I like this poem because to me it says you can't have good without bad. They both must exist.

The Little Vagabond
Does Mother, dear Mother, the church is cold.
But the ale-house is healthy and pleasant and warm.
Besides I can tell where I am used well,
Such usage in heaven will never do well.

But, if at the church they would give us some ale.
And a pleasant fire, our souls to regale;
We'd sing and we'd pray all the live-long day:
Nor ever once wish from the Church to stray.

Then the Parson might preach and drink and sing,
And we'd be as happy as birds in the spring,
And modest Dame Lurch, who is always at Church
Would not have bandy children, nor fasting, nor birch

And God like a father rejoicing to see, his children
As pleasant and happy as he;
Would have no more quarrel with the devil or the barrel,
But kiss him and give him both drink and apparel.

To me this poem is a little tongue and cheek. It contains a little bit of a naive view of religion, hence the innocence. It also mocks the code of behaviour strictly enforced by the Christian faith, to me the experience part of it. This poem comes to me at a good time in my life because I can see both sides.

The last poem:
The Human Abstract

Pity would be no more,
If we did not make somebody poor:
And mercy no more could be,
If all were as happy as we:

And mutual fear brings peace
Til the selfish loves increase,
Then cruelty knits a snare,
And spreads his baits with care,

He sits down with holy fears,
And waters the ground with tears;
Then humility takes its route
Underneath his foot

Soon spreads the dismal shade
Of mystery over his head;
And the caterpillar and the fly,
Feed on the mystery.

And it bears the fruit of Deceit,
ruddy and sweet to eat;
And the raven his nest has made
In it's thickest shade.

The God of the earth and sea,
Sought tro' nature to find this tree
But their search was all in vain;
Their grows one in the human brain.

To me, this poem reflects upon human nature. We all want to be happy. However, ultimately someone out there is suffering at the same time. Human nature is very selfish and will not stop at anything in order to obtain what it thinks will make one happy. I like this poem. I think it says a lot of things that are worth thinking about.

In terms of the poems, I identified better with those in the Experience book, rather than the Innocence. I would also recommend a better book to read then the copy I had. It was a book that used copies of the plates Blake created through his own printing press. It is very hard to read.

Thanks for reading.

Lynn