Friday, September 23, 2011

The Tyger......William Blake.


THE TYGER (from Songs Of Experience)

Photobucket


By William Blake

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?
1794

William Blake seems to have the ability with simple words to get the feel and atmosphere here. The tiger so magnificent and fierce and so very beautiful. Maybe one of the deadliest of the cats. He captures its soul. When compared to his poem "The Lamb" that is so gentle and calm and peaceful. I like poetry when I understand it. When its clear and precise not all high falluting where you don't know what the heck they are talking about. Or where I get lost in the words and miss the meaning. I don't know if you see what I am saying but to me a poem or rhyme needs to be pretty and clear for me to like it. I learned this one in school of so many years ago and have never forgotten it. 

1 comment:

Keith Wallis said...

Poet David R Morgan once said of me in a review - 'Tiger, tiger, burning bright - what bright spark set you alight'. Needless to say neither he nor I am Blake !