Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Songs of Innocence and Experience
    Songs of Innocence and Experience
    Songs of Innocence and Experience
    Ebook89 pages46 minutes

    Songs of Innocence and Experience

    By William Blake

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateMar 1, 1894
    Author

    William Blake

    William Blake (1757–1827) was an English poet and visual artist often linked to the Romantic movement. As a youth in London, he was primarily educated at home before becoming an engraver’s apprentice. Later, Blake would attend the Royal Academy and eventually find work in publishing. His debut, Poetical Sketches, was printed in 1783 followed by Songs of Innocence in 1789. The latter is arguably his most popular collection due to its vivid imagery and thought-provoking themes.

    Read more from William Blake

    Related to Songs of Innocence and Experience

    Related ebooks

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      How to Stop Crying

      Nov 7, 2019

      How to Stop Crying
      7 min read

    • Article

      Merry & bright

      Dec 11, 2023

      Merry & bright
      6 min read

    • Article

      Rise Above

      Nov 1, 2023

      Rise Above
      5 min read

    • Article

      Winters On The Farm

      Dec 5, 2023

      Winters On The Farm
      1 min read

    • Article

      Paul,

      Jul 1, 2020

      Houston, April 2019 The coarse and leafy stalks, like memory,Began to soften in my hands. The kaleMassaged with olive oil and salt. Silently, You sat on the couch as if in grisaille,Scrolling through the twitter of the state.A fragile, bluesy cover s

      14 min read

    • Article

      Five Poems

      Dec 1, 2022

      You have to first Sit in the temple gloom In the mahogany chair & despair. The only glimmer In the temple (being the inlaid bits of The Mother-Of-Pearl shells On the tall, more than humanly tall Chair back, for these These too Are the reputed “Tears

      3 min read

    • Article

      Home

      Feb 25, 2019

      I once lived in a yellow little house. Each morning, birds convened and sang at my bedroom window. The gate was indigo and inside the garden all kinds of flowers rose to kiss the sunny walls. The yellow nest was filled with cherished books, colourful

      5 min read

    • Article

      Meet Your New Favorite Poet

      Feb 20, 2019

      Meet Your New Favorite Poet
      6 min read

    • Article

      “Soonest Mended”

      Sep 6, 2017

      “Soonest Mended”
      3 min read

    • Article

      On Za'atar

      Oct 15, 2021

      On Za'atar
      14 min read

    • Article

      Death’s Footsteps

      Nov 29, 2017

      Death’s Footsteps
      5 min read

    • Article

      from 36 WAYS OF WRITING A VIETNAMESE POEM

      Feb 28, 2023

      You can’t go far wrong with violence.You’ll go far, my boy.You’ll cross oceans, my boy. Start with the Fall, go back or forth,Through bombs or boats,Across all the killing fields of thought. You can’t make it upBecause it’s all yours—by blood.By righ

      4 min read

    • Article

      Must-Read Poetry: September 2017

      Sep 11, 2017

      Isn’t that one of the purest goals of poetry—to justify our breaths? To recognize that we matter? The post Must-Read Poetry: September 2017 appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      Music To Her Ears

      Jun 13, 2022

      Music To Her Ears
      6 min read

    • Article

      Brightest Blessings!

      Dec 12, 2021

      Brightest Blessings!
      5 min read

    • Article

      Must-Read Poetry: April 2018

      Apr 3, 2018

      Here are seven notable books of poetry publishing in April. Eye Level by Jenny Xie An excellent debut. Xie is particularly gifted with precise description; I want to linger on these poems. “Phnom Penh Diptych: Wet Season” is masterful and patient, ex

      6 min read

    • Article

      Your Poetry

      Feb 25, 2022

      Sunshine, showers,Brightly coloured flowersThe glories of Spring aboundThe days brightenOur mood lightensNew life is all around. Warm rays, sunny daysNature comes aliveBuds become flowers of varying huesPinks, yellows, reds and bluesShowers of blosso

      1 min read

    • Article

      I’m Blatted Into Christmas Past By Tubas

      Dec 20, 2019

      The tuba is not a nimble instrument. But there’s a Christmas carol perfectly suited to its cadence that transports me.

      2 min read

    • Article

      DULCE DOMUM From The Wind In The Willows

      Nov 1, 2022

      DULCE DOMUM From The Wind In The Willows
      11 min read

    • Article

      Tidings of GREAT JOY

      Dec 11, 2022

      Tidings of GREAT JOY
      5 min read

    • Article

      Baton From The Baltic

      Feb 16, 2020

      Baton From The Baltic
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Family’s Refuge

      Aug 3, 2021

      A Family’s Refuge
      2 min read

    • Article

      Four Poems

      May 1, 2022

      —after Gerrit van Honthorst’s “Samson and Delilah,” c. 1621 They’ve made a monster of me, marring my namefor eternity. I’m not Delilah,but Laila. I loved him. Each night, in bed, after our bodies became one body, he would succumb to sleep, resting hi

      3 min read

    • Article

      Betjeman Poetry Prize

      Dec 4, 2019

      Betjeman Poetry Prize
      2 min read

    Reviews for Songs of Innocence and Experience

    4/5

    653 ratings15 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      A gorgeous book
    • 4/5
      My copy of William Blake's 'Songs of Innocence and of Experience' features Blake's original plates on one page and his poems typed out on the other. The pictures are strange, ornate, exquisite and the poems are poignant and beautiful, about children and nature, the Chimney Sweeper and the Echoing Green. More famous poems appear in the Songs of Experience, The Sick Rose and the Tyger. The work is visionary and shows sensitivity, depth and a great social conscience.
    • 4/5
      First of all, I would like to state in my defense that I picked up this slim volume days before I started freaking out about getting to 50 books by any means necessary. Ever since I catalogued my poetry shelf, I've been making an effort to get more of it read. Plus, in the story currently in my head, I'm a teacher, leading a unit on poetry. And apparently now I'm doing research for the stories I tell myself on long walks and as I fall asleep.

      Yes? Well, okay. I don't know exactly what I was expecting when I first picked this up, but it certainly wasn't the poems I found in Songs of Innocence. This first volume is so excessively sweet, devoid of any hint of adult cynicism, that I felt a bit unmoored, and it actually took me days to work my way through them. It wasn't until I made it into Songs of Experience and heard the call and response between volumes that everything fell into place. Each side is illuminated and brought into relief by the other.

      This volume contains what must surely be one of the most famous poems in the English language -- "The Tyger," which somehow I think I had never previously read in its entirety, though certainly I have seen its opening lines quoted often enough. Myself, I prefer "the Little Vagabond."

      Worth its reputation after all, I'd have to say.
    • 4/5
      Despite their age, these poems really sing to me: "Get with child a mandrake root...."
    • 2/5
      Illustrated poetry, mostly on religious topics.1.5/4 (Meh)."Songs of Innocence" is trite garbage about how Jesus loves you. "Experience" has a lot more craft, but still basically just pushes immature philosophy. And I really do not understand what people see in the art. Is it just that it was expensive to reproduce (and therefor fancy) for a couple centuries?
    • 5/5
      Songs of Innocence and of Experience remains a favorite of mine. The concept is brilliant-- illustrated poetry. Blake paints a beautiful picture with the poem woven into it. The words are so small I'm not sure how he actually got them on there. I told my daughter she should try to do a painting "Blake-style" with a poem woven into the picture.Some of my favorite Blake poems are found in this collection: "The Lamb" and "The Tiger." But I read some new ones that I also really enjoyed. The first half of the book contains the Songs of Innocence and the poems reflect that theme with sweet poems of God and children and Shepherds, etc. Many of these poems in the Songs of Innocence seem like lullabies.The second half contains the Songs of Experience, with more emphasis on pain, poverty, and sin. The cover picture for Songs of Experience is a picture of someone dead on their bed. It sets the tone for the whole last part. Is the first part like the Garden of Eden—Innocence, and Experience--post Garden? The title is Songs of Innocence and Of Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. So is that contrasting good and evil? Here are some examples of his criticism.Holy Thursday was pointed, “Is this a holy thing to see,/In a rich and fruitful land,/Babes reduced to misery,/ Fed with cold and usurious hand?” This was critical of children in poverty.The poem Garden of Love, I found very critical of the church. The garden had a church built there and it was now filled with tombstones instead of flowers; and priests in black robes were binding with briars. Where he used to play was no longer a garden of love! London was very critical of the city. Phrases like “Harlot’s curse” “blood down palace walls” “marriage hearse” “Infants cry” etc. really paints a bleak picture of the city.
    • 3/5
      Blake wrote some good poems, but I didn't particularly like most of them.
    • 3/5
      I like Blake´s poetry but not his content. The structure, the rhythm and rhyme, the length of the poems I enjoyed; the subject matter, especially in the Songs of Innocence was too much 'little lamb of God' for my tastes.

      That said, this book is very short and does contain some treasures - most notably The Tiger - so I would recommend it to anyone who, like myself, is trying to acquire some knowledge of poetry.
    • 5/5
      Songs of Innocence and Experience are William Blake's two most famous books. The best way to read them is as the artist intended, with a facsimile of the original artwork/poems. They are admittedly a little strange and opaque at first but its possible to pry out some double meanings to discover the "contrary states of the human soul," and if not that, at least enjoy some mirth and joy in lightness of being.
    • 5/5
      I started reading this from the age of twelve. Still love it, and find it deeply meaningful.
    • 5/5
      Blake's collection of ballad-like poems. Deceptively simple and direct, but often more complex and difficult than they seem.
    • 4/5
      The contrast between the songs of innocence and the songs of experience is amazing. Blake is at the same time vague and descriptive. The subtleties in his meter are fantastic! I love reading these and analyzing the intention and the meaning behind them. There are so many points of view one could take.
    • 5/5
      Interesting Poems to Compare and Contrast: Interesting poems to compare and contrast - definitely a must for any literature student. Moreover, if you're interested in the different movements, as Blake was a key figure in bringing Romanticism into poetry.
    • 5/5
      One of the few poets that have stayed and grown with me. And the artwork!
    • 4/5
      This is a beautiful edition of Blake's poems. I've used this a lot in school.

    Book preview

    Songs of Innocence and Experience - William Blake

    The Project Gutenberg EBook of

    Songs of Innocence

    and Songs of Experience

    by William Blake

    #2 in our series by William Blake

    Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.

    This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the header without written permission.

    Please read the legal small print, and other information about the eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.

    **Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**

    **eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971**

    *****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****

    Title: Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience

    Author: William Blake

    Release Date: October, 1999 [Etext #1934]

    [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule]

    [This HTML edition was first posted on March 28, 2003]

    Edition: 10

    Language: English

    *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND EXPERIENCE ***

    This eBook was converted to HTML, with additional editing, by Jose Menendez from the Etext prepared by David Price from the 1901 R. Brimley Johnson edition.

    SONGS OF INNOCENCE

    AND

    SONGS OF EXPERIENCE

    BY

    WILLIAM BLAKE

    CONTENTS

    SONGS OF INNOCENCE

    INTRODUCTION

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1