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Songs of Innocence and Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul, 1789-1794
Here is a beautifully illustrated edition of Blake's classic poems. The text of each poem is given in letterpress on the page facing the color plate, and a brief commentary by Sir Geoffrey Keynes on each poem follows. It is printed on paper especially manufactured to match the tint of that used by Blake.
Paperback, 155 pages
Published
1970
by Oxford University Press
(first published 1794)
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Ryan Milbrath
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William Blake is one of my favorite Romantic era poets. Shakespeare is the only Englishman that I have enjoyed reading more than Blake. England during the 1800s never gave its accolades to the genius of Blake while he lived. His paintings and his most important works like Marriage of Heaven and Hell and this one, Songs of Innocence and of Experience, never received their just do’s till after his death.
Songs of Innocence and Experience are poems composed on vibrantly colored and detailed pla...more
Songs of Innocence and Experience are poems composed on vibrantly colored and detailed pla...more
I am not sure I chose the right entree into Blake's work. My interest sprung from the vast number of references to his poetry that elevate it as prophetic. If these two collections are in that category, the only possible route is the telling of the stories from two sides - innocence and experience. The Songs of Innocence are relics of a time past, probably even in Blake's time. They are sing songy, pastoral and mostly sweet, though definitely not my cup of tea. I mostly breezed through this...more
The sun descending in the west,
The evening star does shine;
The birds are silent in their nest,
And I must seek for mine.
The moon, like a flower,
In heaven's high bower,
With silent delight
Sits and smiles on the night.
Farewell, green fields and happy groves,
Where flocks have took delight.
Where lambs have nibbled, silent moves
The feet of angels bright;
Unseen they pour blessing,
And joy without ceasing,
On each bud and blossom,...more
The evening star does shine;
The birds are silent in their nest,
And I must seek for mine.
The moon, like a flower,
In heaven's high bower,
With silent delight
Sits and smiles on the night.
Farewell, green fields and happy groves,
Where flocks have took delight.
Where lambs have nibbled, silent moves
The feet of angels bright;
Unseen they pour blessing,
And joy without ceasing,
On each bud and blossom,...more
In turns heartfelt and alienating, warm and eerie.
The duplicity with which this book is written is its most defining characteristic, making it a direct reflection of the world we live in. It's short, but encompassing; it's safe to say that the breadth of emotions I felt in the hour I spent reading this book were more vivid and diverse than the emotions I'm going to feel this coming week.
My favorite William Blake anecdote says that when he was four years old he saw God peerin...more
The duplicity with which this book is written is its most defining characteristic, making it a direct reflection of the world we live in. It's short, but encompassing; it's safe to say that the breadth of emotions I felt in the hour I spent reading this book were more vivid and diverse than the emotions I'm going to feel this coming week.
My favorite William Blake anecdote says that when he was four years old he saw God peerin...more
Jason Gignac
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Shelves:
fill-in-the-gaps,
read-your-name-challenge
Wow.
I know, I'm very purply in my prose when I talk about books, and I have a tendency to say everything is beautiful. I know this probably takes away from the impact of when I really find something life-changingly perfect. Do not let my larkety-la-ti-da writing style in reviews, however, stop you from putting down whatever you're reading, and immediately adding this precious book to the store of books you've read.
I can honestly say that, if the other things William Blake...more
I know, I'm very purply in my prose when I talk about books, and I have a tendency to say everything is beautiful. I know this probably takes away from the impact of when I really find something life-changingly perfect. Do not let my larkety-la-ti-da writing style in reviews, however, stop you from putting down whatever you're reading, and immediately adding this precious book to the store of books you've read.
I can honestly say that, if the other things William Blake...more
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L'attenzione, l'amore e la dolcezza che william Blake rivolge ai bambini orfani, abbandonati e ammazzati dalla società mi ha fatto commuovere come poche poesie al mondo.
Ricordando che furono scritte in un tempo in cui i bambini orfani venivano utilizzati, senza scrupoli come spazzacamini ed infilati in canne fumarie spesso ancora roventi, molti morivano o ne rimanevano gravemente ustionati ...
In un tempo in cui i genitori abbandonavano i loro figli nella nebbia non potendoli sf...more
Ricordando che furono scritte in un tempo in cui i bambini orfani venivano utilizzati, senza scrupoli come spazzacamini ed infilati in canne fumarie spesso ancora roventi, molti morivano o ne rimanevano gravemente ustionati ...
In un tempo in cui i genitori abbandonavano i loro figli nella nebbia non potendoli sf...more
Interesting book of poems about contrasts in life from the innocence and naivety of childhood, dependent upon authority to the experience developed as we grow older and gain more knowledge and begin to question the world we live in. I loved the poems where Blake was criticizing English society and the poor treatment of children as chimney sweepers. His poem 'London' was also another favorite, emphasizing the city's harsh man-made bonds and restraints made from both society and also our internal ...more
Innocence "read" once two months ago. Did not shelve. Took to The Lamb and Little Boy Lost two days ago. Finished second reading of most of Innocence tonight. (it is night). add The Divine Image. Shelve as "reading."
Sporadic indolence of two hours, (after thinking I wasn't experienced enough for Experience), I have devoured its entirety in one ravished sitting . Humane. Shelve as read. Can I actually say I read it? When I can barely grasp the Innocence which needs prec...more
Sporadic indolence of two hours, (after thinking I wasn't experienced enough for Experience), I have devoured its entirety in one ravished sitting . Humane. Shelve as read. Can I actually say I read it? When I can barely grasp the Innocence which needs prec...more
Blake is brilliant...brilliant...brilliant. Probably because the spirit of Milton was possessing him by entering the big toe of his left foot just like he thought. I can't come up with any other reason for it.
I don't get Blake's reputation. I grant the genius of “The Tyger,” but 90% of the rest of the poems in this book are doggerel. The other 10% are doggerel mixed with a good idea gone wrong or a nice line or image mixed with some very bad writing. It is hard for me to understand why anyone but a Christian fundamentalist with a taste for trite rhymes or an English lit scholar would bother. This raises the question of why Tyger is so good. My blind spot, or did Blake strike gold once with most of hi...more
These poems are beautiful and thought-provoking, as are the accompanying illustrations. "Innocence" describes scenes of love and trust and light, while "Experience" looks to the shadows. My favorite will probably always be "Night", but "On Another's Sorrow" and "The Human Abstract" struck me as well. Blake can be very subtle, creating an array of possible meanings, and even the poems that seem like children's rhymes have much more depth than one ...more
The main reason why I like Blake is simply because I enjoy his poems. Yes, he was a visionary and was remarkable in all kinds of ways... That all put aside, he really is a great poet. Call him pre- Romantic or Romantic poet; I don't see anyone from that period similar to him. In a way as a poet in my mind he always stood alone. There is something unique about him. His poetry is only simple at the first glance. The more you look at it the more interesting it gets. I liked the contrast between his...more
Seriously, the apocolypse must be on its way. I just picked up a book of poetry all on my own, without prompting, and read it by choice, rather than by force or coercion. Even more miraculously, I mostly understood what I read, which (when it comes to poetry) is so rare I can probably count on one hand the times that it’s happened in my life. Furthermore, I actually enjoyed the book. So I’m sorry. I know I’ve probably caused the end of the world, but there’s nothing I can do about that now.
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Some of Blake I'm uncertain about: one or two of his poems I hesitated at. In 'Songs of Innocence' for example, 'The Little Black Boy' to me held several perspectives on race and I couldn't pinpoint which Blake was adopting. Whether the last stanza was a commentary on Christian charity or really was insinuating racial inequality, even in the eyes of God I'm unsure, although the accompanying plate which depicts the White Boy resting on Jesus' knee bathed in the light of his halo while the Black B...more
The deliberate contrasts set up between the poems of Innocence and the poems of Experience are eloquent expressions of Blake's own inner turmoil surrounding large aspects of his life and the human experience. "The Ecchoing Green" shows his reverence for the pastoral, rural life, while "London" shows his distaste and distrust of the dirty, urban lifestyle. Contrasting "Lamb" and "Tyger" further exposes this preference, though "Tyger" goes deeper i...more
Read it in college. Am rereading it in preparation for an exam. Great read! Blake is a poignant social critique. Poem has a nursery rhyme form (purposely done to seemingly simplify his ideologies, but the ideas and issues explored in the poem are far from simple!). Side note- Blake was apparently crazy. And I mean, really crazy. He was probably a schizo- he communicated with the artworks he had created. o.O
Ryan McCarthy
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People that aren't dumb
Shelves:
poetry
You probably read some Blake in your high school English class, most likely poems from this work, but it's quite a different experience to read the entirety of Songs of Innocence and of Experience, especially with the lovely illustrations. In much of his work, Blake explores contrary, but necessary, states of mind, and in his "Songs..." this comes out in many strange and beautiful ways, not only contraries between the two states (innocence and experience) but also within those states....more
Matt Ambs
added it
This book, originally compiled on copper plates, is such an affront to the traditions of man. Refusing to confine himself to good and evil, a subject on which he was quite confounded, Blake adopts the notion of innocence as that of spiritual closeness to God. This may appear to be a collection of children's poems but be warned, it is in fact a powerful case against the propensity of man to create his creator!
I read an edition that included Blake's full page illustrations/borders. I'm not sure if there are editions which are only text but they would definitely be missing out.
The poems seem quaint at first, and feel almost like a sort of whimsical emotional diary of, well, innocence and experience. There are some excellent passages, but I think I'll enjoy and appreciate this most if I perhaps do some more research on it.
In other news, I think it would be an excellent idea for a...more
The poems seem quaint at first, and feel almost like a sort of whimsical emotional diary of, well, innocence and experience. There are some excellent passages, but I think I'll enjoy and appreciate this most if I perhaps do some more research on it.
In other news, I think it would be an excellent idea for a...more
This was my sister's literature book and I read it through. There were all the lovely pictures that Blake did himself. My favourite of course was "The Lamb" which I learnt off by heart to recite whenever I liked. This collection is wonderful, as the book is separated into poems that are innocent and then the poems that have experience of life.
There are a few poems in here that I will always love and that will always carry a lot of meaning to me, but there are a few poems in here I don't think I will ever care for (of course, tastes change so who knows). I give it a three because overall I like it, and it is almost necessary that you read it with at least one of Blake's editions of the artwork, but in the end I still tend to not like at least half of the poems in it. (although, like I said the other half I think are brilliant)
This is a great compilation of Blake's poetry and etchings. And that's mainly because it's Blake, what more can anyone say?
I'd like to give it a 4.5 rating because I'm not sure whether the colorful copies of Blake's work is an inspiration or a desecration (of the originals).
I'd like to give it a 4.5 rating because I'm not sure whether the colorful copies of Blake's work is an inspiration or a desecration (of the originals).
Uh, what's to say? They're William Blake poems. Awesome, frightening, and very...focused on duality? A lot of them are actually paired poems, one in "Innocence" and one in "Experience," reflecting an unjaded and a jaded take on the topic. I'd never really realized that and found it really fascinating...
Maryam
added it
I only read "The Chimney Sweeper" from "Songs of Innocence" and it makes you feel sorry for the little boys who had to sleep in soot and covered in dirt. The theme is represented by the very last line of the poem which is "So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm".
Blake's thesis is simple yet deeply profound: as we journey through experience we should retain our innocence. I am impressed by Blake's concern for the common person and his disgust for dehumanizing authorities. This poetry will stand for all times.
What do you say about Blake that hasn't been said? Innocence and Experience are cool, but that's about where Blake stops for me. The problem seems to be that later on Blake gets really inaccessible. While that might be attractive to some, I get tired of it after a while. These poems are still readable to casual Blake readers and casual poetry fans (I'm probably one of those too). 'The Chimney Sweeper' and 'Holy Thursday' (both versions of these) are particularly cool. This is good Romantic...more
My favourite poet! Also one of my favourite artist's! Blake's poetry moves me and his fertile imagination is inspirational. I've been in love with Blake's art and poetry since I was young and he continues to mean a great deal to me now.
This is absolutely the way poetry should be done, and the accompanying art is as frighteningly beautiful as Blake's verse. If you're interested in poetry at all, especially if you're going to write your own, this book is a must read.
This edition has Blakes' illustrations which are not available in my other copies of his poetry. Unfortuantely they are in black and white and are rather small. The illustrations I do have I got off the internet and I find more satisfying.
Seen in this week's Private Eye:
Tiger! Tiger! Burning brightfrom Songs of Innocent Until Proven Guilty
In the middle of the night
What on earth was going on?
Perhaps we will never know
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William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake's work is today considered seminal and significant in the history of both poetry and the visual arts.
Blake's prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the language". His visual artistry has led one moder...more
More about William Blake...
Blake's prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the language". His visual artistry has led one moder...more
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“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.”
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