William Blake
'The essence of
Romanticism,' says Mario Praz, '...comes to consist in what cannot be
described. The word and the form are only accessories.'
(The Romantic Period, p. 14)
A Fair
Day in the Affections--Barbauld's Influence on
BlakeBlake's writing emphasizes Praz's
quote--the printed word and the form contaminate the essence of Romanticism by
binding it, taking away its' freedom. In 1789, Blake wrote Songs of
Innocence, which is derived from biblical sources, traditional nursery
rhymes, songs, and moral hymns for children. Included in these influences is
Anna Laeticia Barbauld's book, Hymns in Prose for
Children.
Barbauld's influence on Blake's writing tends to be on the
cautionary side, however. Blake did not always approve of the moralizing
qualities which childrens' literature, including Barbauld's, tended to portray.
Despite Blake's feelings about most childrens' literature of the day, however,
he did draw fairly freely from Barbauld's work in the areas of imagery, phraseology,
and more importantly, thematic structure. The idea that by converting
complicated Biblical lessons into a simpler, more pleasing language, children
would become more interested in learning these lessons, was of particular use
for Blake. Both the poems and illustrations for Songs of Innocence show
his consistency in presenting an adult subject matter, while maintaining a
style and language to which children may relate.
And I made a rural pen,
And I stained the water clear,
And I wrote my
happy songs,
Every child may joy to hear. (The Complete Writings of William
Blake)
Blake did not agree with Barbauld, that poetry ought
not be "lowered to the capacities of children." Instead, he embraced the idea
that if a child is'to feel the full force of the
idea of God' he must be encouraged to connect religion 'with a variety of
sensible objects; with all that he sees, all that he hears, all that affects
his young mind with wonder or delight...'(A Fair Day in the Affections, p.
133)
A dominant theme in Songs of
Innocence reflects Barbauld's concern, the child's ability to feel God's
"continual presence, and lean upon his daily protection."(p.133) Another theme
which Blake adopts from Barbauld is that of parenthood. Barbauld uses
guardian type images such as shepherds over sheep, parents over children, and
God as good shepherd. Blake's Piper, likewise, in the "Introduction" to Songs of
Innocence, is a prophet shown, in the illustration at the beginning of the
songs, as a shepherd with his flock of sheep.
Barbauld's influence on
Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience is minor, but it is
nonetheless consistent. The parenthood theme can be seen throughout Blake's
Songs. "In a sense, as the 'Introduction' and the title page to
Songs of Innocence suggest, the whole volume is a gift to be read by
protective and loving parents to their children."(A Fair Day in the Affections
p. 136)
Blake was also influential in
the art world, and a link may be made between Barbauld's Hymns and Blake
's engravings as well. One of Barbauld's strongest influences seems to have
been her depiction of the colors and sounds of nature. In this regard, many
of Blake's engravings would fit very well in an illustrated copy of Hymns
The connection between Blake and Barbauld in this context, may be best
described by reference to a professor's thoughts in A Fair Day in the
Affections.
Professor Pinto's observation can also be readily
conceded, that Blake 'transmitted Mrs. Barbauld's tinsel into the gold of
authentic poetry.'(p. 136)
The Child and Education
Typically Blake's Songs of Innocence is understood to be a selection of poems for
children. Perhaps this is not quite the case. "It would not be quite true to
say that the Songs of Innocence merely celebrate 'instinctive
behavior' and 'reject the very act of teaching.'"(The Romantic Period,
p. 128) Blake's poetry, rather than specifically advocating anything, is
simply a source of delight. "Blake's Songs subvert the sugared pill
approach to education by removing the pill altogether, and by offering the
pleasure of the composite, illuminated text to adults as well as to
children."(The Romantic Period, p. 128) Blake seems to allude to a role
reversal here. "It is not the child who must be socialized into the world of
the educator, but the educator who needs to be led into the world of the
child."(p. 128) This sentiment sounds like Wordsworth, but the
innocence here is not that which is perceived through an adult consciousness.
Instead, Blake's Songs have simple form, style, and rythym which suggest
songs of children. Remember the role reversal in Blake's "Introduction"
to Songs of Innocence--the Piper obeys the command of the
child.
Perhaps the only truly adult viewpoint in Songs of
Innocence comes in "Holy Thursday."
Twas on a
Holy Thursday their innocent faces clean
The children walking two and two in
red and blue and green
Grey headed beadles walked before them with wands
white as snow
Till into the high dome of Pauls they like Thames waters
flow.
Here, Blake's adult attitude comes out "in
his admiration for public demonstrations of visible purity."(The Romantic
Period,p. 129) The children are described as having "innocent faces," the
beadles as having "wands white as snow." "...they like Thames water flow," is
also a rather obscure reference to innocence and purity.Considering
Blake's emphasis on childhood, he should rightly take his place among the poets
of the eighteenth century. Before Wordsworth, Blake and his writings seem to
have been looked upon as a phenomenon. Unfortunately, Songs of Innocence
and of Experience are the only poems of Blake's which have been widely
read, though his lyrics about children were began as early as 1784--five years
before Songs of Innocence, and ten years before Songs of Innocence
and of Experience were dated together. Though Blake's poetry itself fit
nicely with the juvenile literature of the times, his engravings added a truly
unique touch. He also did engravings for other authors of children's
literature, inclucing Mary Wollstonecraft.
So the
pen that had once tried to carve, as on a rock, the story of Sampson, and the
'words of truth, that all who pass may read,' was now to become a delicate
reed, and write simple sentences for any child to spell out."(English
Childhood, p. 265)
What then, was the
calling that prompted Blake to write poetry for and of children? There is
evidence of Blake seeing visions as a child, and that this continued through
his adulthood. He used to say to his friends, "You can see what I do if you
choose. Work up imagination to the state of vision, and the thing is done."
(English Childhood, p. 266)
Blake strayed from the prejudicial
style of his predecessor, Watts, and looked at the child "with the eyes of a
natural philosopher."(English Childhood, p. 267) In "Divine Image"
(Songs of Innocence), man is made in God's own image, and as any man
discovers another, so he also discovers God. This religious philosophy is also
part of Blake's feelings on childhood.
For Mercy has
a human heart,
Pity a human face,
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.
Blake is all inclusive
in his idea of God, and in the closing stanza of "Divine Image", he advocates
universal benevolence.And all must love the human
form,
In heathen, Turk, or Jew;
Where Mercy, Love and Pity
dwell,
There God is dwelling too.
More of Blake's Poetry for or about
children:
- Auguries of Innocence (1801-1803)
- For Children
: The Gates of Paradise (1793)
- Songs from an Island in the Moon
(1784)
- Poetical Sketches (1783)
- Poems on Various Subjects for
the Amusement of Youth (1789)
Universal Benevolence versus Institutional Restraint
Blake has been recognized as a benevolist poet, and like his predecessors and
contemporaries, he "protested vehemently against conditions and practices which
he held responsible for unhappiness and suffering."(English Childhood,
p. 268) In "The Schoolboy"(Songs of Experience), Blake identifies a
bird in conjunction with the image of the child. In the poem, the child loves
to be outside in the summer, when the birds are singing all around, but going
to school takes joy away.How can the bird that is born for joy
Sit in
a cage and sing?
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his
tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring?(Blake's Innocence and
Experience, p. 203)
Blake was most definitely
concerned about societal restraints placed on the innocence and uninhibited
humanity inherant in children. The editor of Blake's Innocence and
Experience, Joseph H. Wicksteed, seems to be advocating Blake's own
sentiments in his comments on "The Schoolboy".The
poem is winged on reason, not upon scorn and indignation. May it become--as it
deserves--evermore widely heard and wisely marked. England would be sweeter
and stronger in the strength and sweetness of its' childhood were it
so.(Blake's Innocence and Experience, p. 203)
Another indication of how unique and significant art is in conjunction with literature, in the
goal of exposing the ills of society, can be seen in Blake's engraved
frontispieces for Songs of Innocence and of Experience. The initial
difference between the two can be seen in the art. In Songs of
Innocence, the frontispiece shows young children at their mother's knee.
In Songs of Experience, the children are older and are grieving at the
death of their parents. As a daily observer of society around him, Blake did
not see his personal conception of a world contented, with happy children, to
be the world in reality. Blake's reasoning for this dichotomy, appears to be
the fact that the race of men had, in fact, distorted nature.
Other poems in Songs of Experience which advocate the rights of
children in a harsh adult society, include "Holy Thursday" and "London". These poems protest
"against man-made restrictions that bind the child."(English Childhood,
p. 270)
In every Infant's cry of fear,
In every
voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg'd manacles I hear.("London", The
Complete Writings of William Blake, p.216)
Blakes writings go beyond those of his predecessors and contemporaries in "advocating the emancipation of
childhood."(English Childhood, p. 271) Another poem which follows this
theme is "The Chimney Sweeper", also from Songs of Experience. Here,
instead of delivering the protest himself, Blake uses the voice of a child, who
suffers from social injustice, to cry out against the neglect of childrens'
well being.'And because I am happy and dance and
sing,
They think they have done me no injury,
And are gone to praise God
and His priest and King,
Who make up a Heaven of our misery.'(The
Complete Writings of William Blake, p. 212)
Here
we see a bit of an echo of the sentiments of the most revolutionary writers
of the times, specifically Paine, Godwin, and Wollstonecraft.
The
difference Blake observed between children in the world where nature is
sovereign, and those in the world before his eyes, and the reasoning for this
difference was significant. "Had man been content to live in the golden age of
innocence, his childlike delight in God and creation would not have been
perverted, and the Songs of Experience would not have been
necessary.(English Childhood, p. 269)
Children's Advocacy and ReligionIn so
many of the poems in Songs of Experience, there is a theme of freedom
from the institutions of society. The church itself is not absent from those
institutions under attack. In "The Little Vagabond", Blake tells of the
spiritual neglect of the church.
Dear mother, dear
mother, the Church is cold;
But the Alehouse is healthy, and pleasant, and
warm.
Besides, I can tell where I am used well;
The poor parsons with
wind like a blown bladder swell.(The Poetical Works of William Blake, p.
110)
The naive child points out the
difference between the bleakness of the church and the warmth of the alehouse,
and we see how out of touch the chuch has been with the masses. Protests had
already begun against the traditional curriculum in many schools, and there was
want of a closer relationship between priests and parishoners, with
intelligible sermons. The child in "The Little Vagabond" notices that parsons
are lacking in the ability to attract and comfort souls. However, if the
church reorganized and reformed its' administration, all men would be
happy.
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.(The Poetical Works of William Blake, p. 110)
Blake seems to believe in the power of nature over the power
of man. He is against the church, the school, and any other institution that
takes nature out of the child, and thus makes a mockery of God's creation. "Blake's
fundimentally naturalistic conception in Songs of Innocence is in
harmony with the part of Christianity which exalts the innocence and purity of
the child heart."(English Childhood, p. 281) Blake's writings have a
child-like enthusiasm, inspired by High Christian teachings and naturalistic
philosophy. The Christian and the natural do not, however, cancel each other
out. Blake used the vocabulary which was available--thus we read words like,
"Shepherd," "Lamb," "God," "Angel," "Heaven," "Father," and "Maker." Though
these words do have a Christian slant, Blake does not necessarily use them in
their traditional theological sense. The children in Blake's poetry speak of
their "maker" as of a friend--not mentioning the idea of an external,
omnipresent "God."
Though many may think this sentiment Blasphemy,
coupled with Blake's denouncement of the institutional "church," Blake's
children were in reality, paying God, and Christianity, the highest of
compliments. The untutored acceptance of God as one of their own kind, which
Blake's children express, is a sign of inborn reverence, and this
idea fits in very well with Blake's natural religion.
Works other than Songs of Innocence and of
Experience
Poetical Sketches was
Blake's first work of significance. It was not "published" per se, but came in
"loose sheets with a blue-gray wrapper."(Windows of the Morning, p. 29)
Blake begins with an advertisement:The following sketches were the
product of an untutored youth, commenced in his twelvth and occasionally
returned to by the author till his twentieth year...(The Poetical Works of
William Blake, p. 2)
As Blake wrote these poems when he was
quite young, the themes are innocent--nature, the seasons, love, joy--things of
interest to young people. The poems show children as Blake felt that God had
intended them to be--playing Blind Man's Buff, and enjoying life, not being
forced into the societal roles of little adults.
In 1793, Blake published
another work for children, this one being of divine nature. For Children:
The Gates of Paradise was, in its' original form, "a simple picture-book
'For Children', consisting of a frontispiece, title page, and sixteen engraved
plates of emblematic designs."(English Childhood, p. 264)
One more
example of Blake's works for children, is Songs from An Island in the
Moon, published in 1784. Many of the songs in this selection were used as
drafts for some of the poems in Songs of Innocence. For
example:
O father, father, where are you going?
Oh do
not walk so fast;
Oh speak, father, speak to your little boy,
Or else I
shall be lost.
This passage was the draft for "The
Little Boy Lost" in Songs of Innocence. There are also some happy songs
in Island in the Moon, including that of a school boy, Tilly Lally.
O I say you Joe,
Throw us the ball.
I've a
good mind to go,
And leave you all.(The Complete Writings of William
Blake, p. 60)
Blake's vision of natural
childhood, versus the societal restraints that bind, is also apparent in
Auguries of Innocence, published between 1801 and 1803.The Babe is more than Swadling Bands;
Throughout all these Human
Lands
Tools were made, & Born were hands,
Every Farmer
understands.(Mosaic, Fall 1984, p. 19)
In the
child, "Blake sees the augury of the ideal visionary man, the prophet who has
balanced the four faculties(emotion, imagination, sensation, and reason), and
leads a creatively complete life."(Mosaic, Fall 1984, p. 19)
Erica
Lell
(The Romantic Period, p. 14)
Blake's writing emphasizes Praz's quote--the printed word and the form contaminate the essence of Romanticism by binding it, taking away its' freedom. In 1789, Blake wrote Songs of Innocence, which is derived from biblical sources, traditional nursery rhymes, songs, and moral hymns for children. Included in these influences is Anna Laeticia Barbauld's book, Hymns in Prose for Children.
Barbauld's influence on Blake's writing tends to be on the cautionary side, however. Blake did not always approve of the moralizing qualities which childrens' literature, including Barbauld's, tended to portray. Despite Blake's feelings about most childrens' literature of the day, however, he did draw fairly freely from Barbauld's work in the areas of imagery, phraseology, and more importantly, thematic structure. The idea that by converting complicated Biblical lessons into a simpler, more pleasing language, children would become more interested in learning these lessons, was of particular use for Blake. Both the poems and illustrations for Songs of Innocence show his consistency in presenting an adult subject matter, while maintaining a style and language to which children may relate.
And I made a rural pen,
And I stained the water clear,
And I wrote my happy songs,
Every child may joy to hear. (The Complete Writings of William Blake)
Blake did not agree with Barbauld, that poetry ought
not be "lowered to the capacities of children." Instead, he embraced the idea
that if a child is'to feel the full force of the
idea of God' he must be encouraged to connect religion 'with a variety of
sensible objects; with all that he sees, all that he hears, all that affects
his young mind with wonder or delight...'(A Fair Day in the Affections, p.
133)
A dominant theme in Songs of Innocence reflects Barbauld's concern, the child's ability to feel God's "continual presence, and lean upon his daily protection."(p.133) Another theme which Blake adopts from Barbauld is that of parenthood. Barbauld uses guardian type images such as shepherds over sheep, parents over children, and God as good shepherd. Blake's Piper, likewise, in the "Introduction" to Songs of Innocence, is a prophet shown, in the illustration at the beginning of the songs, as a shepherd with his flock of sheep.
Barbauld's influence on Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience is minor, but it is nonetheless consistent. The parenthood theme can be seen throughout Blake's Songs. "In a sense, as the 'Introduction' and the title page to Songs of Innocence suggest, the whole volume is a gift to be read by protective and loving parents to their children."(A Fair Day in the Affections p. 136)
Blake was also influential in
the art world, and a link may be made between Barbauld's Hymns and Blake
's engravings as well. One of Barbauld's strongest influences seems to have
been her depiction of the colors and sounds of nature. In this regard, many
of Blake's engravings would fit very well in an illustrated copy of Hymns
The connection between Blake and Barbauld in this context, may be best described by reference to a professor's thoughts in A Fair Day in the Affections.
Professor Pinto's observation can also be readily conceded, that Blake 'transmitted Mrs. Barbauld's tinsel into the gold of authentic poetry.'(p. 136)
The Child and EducationTypically Blake's Songs of Innocence is understood to be a selection of poems for
children. Perhaps this is not quite the case. "It would not be quite true to
say that the Songs of Innocence merely celebrate 'instinctive
behavior' and 'reject the very act of teaching.'"(The Romantic Period,
p. 128) Blake's poetry, rather than specifically advocating anything, is
simply a source of delight. "Blake's Songs subvert the sugared pill
approach to education by removing the pill altogether, and by offering the
pleasure of the composite, illuminated text to adults as well as to
children."(The Romantic Period, p. 128) Blake seems to allude to a role
reversal here. "It is not the child who must be socialized into the world of
the educator, but the educator who needs to be led into the world of the
child."(p. 128) This sentiment sounds like Wordsworth, but the
innocence here is not that which is perceived through an adult consciousness.
Instead, Blake's Songs have simple form, style, and rythym which suggest
songs of children. Remember the role reversal in Blake's "Introduction"
to Songs of Innocence--the Piper obeys the command of the
child.
Perhaps the only truly adult viewpoint in Songs of
Innocence comes in "Holy Thursday."
Twas on a
Holy Thursday their innocent faces clean
The children walking two and two in
red and blue and green
Grey headed beadles walked before them with wands
white as snow
Till into the high dome of Pauls they like Thames waters
flow.
Here, Blake's adult attitude comes out "in
his admiration for public demonstrations of visible purity."(The Romantic
Period,p. 129) The children are described as having "innocent faces," the
beadles as having "wands white as snow." "...they like Thames water flow," is
also a rather obscure reference to innocence and purity.Considering
Blake's emphasis on childhood, he should rightly take his place among the poets
of the eighteenth century. Before Wordsworth, Blake and his writings seem to
have been looked upon as a phenomenon. Unfortunately, Songs of Innocence
and of Experience are the only poems of Blake's which have been widely
read, though his lyrics about children were began as early as 1784--five years
before Songs of Innocence, and ten years before Songs of Innocence
and of Experience were dated together. Though Blake's poetry itself fit
nicely with the juvenile literature of the times, his engravings added a truly
unique touch. He also did engravings for other authors of children's
literature, inclucing Mary Wollstonecraft.
So the
pen that had once tried to carve, as on a rock, the story of Sampson, and the
'words of truth, that all who pass may read,' was now to become a delicate
reed, and write simple sentences for any child to spell out."(English
Childhood, p. 265)
What then, was the
calling that prompted Blake to write poetry for and of children? There is
evidence of Blake seeing visions as a child, and that this continued through
his adulthood. He used to say to his friends, "You can see what I do if you
choose. Work up imagination to the state of vision, and the thing is done."
(English Childhood, p. 266)
Blake strayed from the prejudicial
style of his predecessor, Watts, and looked at the child "with the eyes of a
natural philosopher."(English Childhood, p. 267) In "Divine Image"
(Songs of Innocence), man is made in God's own image, and as any man
discovers another, so he also discovers God. This religious philosophy is also
part of Blake's feelings on childhood.
For Mercy has
a human heart,
Pity a human face,
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.
Blake is all inclusive
in his idea of God, and in the closing stanza of "Divine Image", he advocates
universal benevolence.And all must love the human
form,
In heathen, Turk, or Jew;
Where Mercy, Love and Pity
dwell,
There God is dwelling too.
More of Blake's Poetry for or about
children:
- Auguries of Innocence (1801-1803)
- For Children
: The Gates of Paradise (1793)
- Songs from an Island in the Moon
(1784)
- Poetical Sketches (1783)
- Poems on Various Subjects for
the Amusement of Youth (1789)
Universal Benevolence versus Institutional Restraint
Blake has been recognized as a benevolist poet, and like his predecessors and
contemporaries, he "protested vehemently against conditions and practices which
he held responsible for unhappiness and suffering."(English Childhood,
p. 268) In "The Schoolboy"(Songs of Experience), Blake identifies a
bird in conjunction with the image of the child. In the poem, the child loves
to be outside in the summer, when the birds are singing all around, but going
to school takes joy away.How can the bird that is born for joy
Sit in
a cage and sing?
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his
tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring?(Blake's Innocence and
Experience, p. 203)
Blake was most definitely
concerned about societal restraints placed on the innocence and uninhibited
humanity inherant in children. The editor of Blake's Innocence and
Experience, Joseph H. Wicksteed, seems to be advocating Blake's own
sentiments in his comments on "The Schoolboy".The
poem is winged on reason, not upon scorn and indignation. May it become--as it
deserves--evermore widely heard and wisely marked. England would be sweeter
and stronger in the strength and sweetness of its' childhood were it
so.(Blake's Innocence and Experience, p. 203)
Another indication of how unique and significant art is in conjunction with literature, in the
goal of exposing the ills of society, can be seen in Blake's engraved
frontispieces for Songs of Innocence and of Experience. The initial
difference between the two can be seen in the art. In Songs of
Innocence, the frontispiece shows young children at their mother's knee.
In Songs of Experience, the children are older and are grieving at the
death of their parents. As a daily observer of society around him, Blake did
not see his personal conception of a world contented, with happy children, to
be the world in reality. Blake's reasoning for this dichotomy, appears to be
the fact that the race of men had, in fact, distorted nature.
Other poems in Songs of Experience which advocate the rights of
children in a harsh adult society, include "Holy Thursday" and "London". These poems protest
"against man-made restrictions that bind the child."(English Childhood,
p. 270)
In every Infant's cry of fear,
In every
voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg'd manacles I hear.("London", The
Complete Writings of William Blake, p.216)
Blakes writings go beyond those of his predecessors and contemporaries in "advocating the emancipation of
childhood."(English Childhood, p. 271) Another poem which follows this
theme is "The Chimney Sweeper", also from Songs of Experience. Here,
instead of delivering the protest himself, Blake uses the voice of a child, who
suffers from social injustice, to cry out against the neglect of childrens'
well being.'And because I am happy and dance and
sing,
They think they have done me no injury,
And are gone to praise God
and His priest and King,
Who make up a Heaven of our misery.'(The
Complete Writings of William Blake, p. 212)
Here
we see a bit of an echo of the sentiments of the most revolutionary writers
of the times, specifically Paine, Godwin, and Wollstonecraft.
The
difference Blake observed between children in the world where nature is
sovereign, and those in the world before his eyes, and the reasoning for this
difference was significant. "Had man been content to live in the golden age of
innocence, his childlike delight in God and creation would not have been
perverted, and the Songs of Experience would not have been
necessary.(English Childhood, p. 269)
Children's Advocacy and ReligionIn so
many of the poems in Songs of Experience, there is a theme of freedom
from the institutions of society. The church itself is not absent from those
institutions under attack. In "The Little Vagabond", Blake tells of the
spiritual neglect of the church.
Dear mother, dear
mother, the Church is cold;
But the Alehouse is healthy, and pleasant, and
warm.
Besides, I can tell where I am used well;
The poor parsons with
wind like a blown bladder swell.(The Poetical Works of William Blake, p.
110)
The naive child points out the
difference between the bleakness of the church and the warmth of the alehouse,
and we see how out of touch the chuch has been with the masses. Protests had
already begun against the traditional curriculum in many schools, and there was
want of a closer relationship between priests and parishoners, with
intelligible sermons. The child in "The Little Vagabond" notices that parsons
are lacking in the ability to attract and comfort souls. However, if the
church reorganized and reformed its' administration, all men would be
happy.
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.(The Poetical Works of William Blake, p. 110)
Blake seems to believe in the power of nature over the power
of man. He is against the church, the school, and any other institution that
takes nature out of the child, and thus makes a mockery of God's creation. "Blake's
fundimentally naturalistic conception in Songs of Innocence is in
harmony with the part of Christianity which exalts the innocence and purity of
the child heart."(English Childhood, p. 281) Blake's writings have a
child-like enthusiasm, inspired by High Christian teachings and naturalistic
philosophy. The Christian and the natural do not, however, cancel each other
out. Blake used the vocabulary which was available--thus we read words like,
"Shepherd," "Lamb," "God," "Angel," "Heaven," "Father," and "Maker." Though
these words do have a Christian slant, Blake does not necessarily use them in
their traditional theological sense. The children in Blake's poetry speak of
their "maker" as of a friend--not mentioning the idea of an external,
omnipresent "God."
Though many may think this sentiment Blasphemy,
coupled with Blake's denouncement of the institutional "church," Blake's
children were in reality, paying God, and Christianity, the highest of
compliments. The untutored acceptance of God as one of their own kind, which
Blake's children express, is a sign of inborn reverence, and this
idea fits in very well with Blake's natural religion.
Works other than Songs of Innocence and of
Experience
Poetical Sketches was
Blake's first work of significance. It was not "published" per se, but came in
"loose sheets with a blue-gray wrapper."(Windows of the Morning, p. 29)
Blake begins with an advertisement:The following sketches were the
product of an untutored youth, commenced in his twelvth and occasionally
returned to by the author till his twentieth year...(The Poetical Works of
William Blake, p. 2)
As Blake wrote these poems when he was
quite young, the themes are innocent--nature, the seasons, love, joy--things of
interest to young people. The poems show children as Blake felt that God had
intended them to be--playing Blind Man's Buff, and enjoying life, not being
forced into the societal roles of little adults.
In 1793, Blake published
another work for children, this one being of divine nature. For Children:
The Gates of Paradise was, in its' original form, "a simple picture-book
'For Children', consisting of a frontispiece, title page, and sixteen engraved
plates of emblematic designs."(English Childhood, p. 264)
One more
example of Blake's works for children, is Songs from An Island in the
Moon, published in 1784. Many of the songs in this selection were used as
drafts for some of the poems in Songs of Innocence. For
example:
O father, father, where are you going?
Oh do
not walk so fast;
Oh speak, father, speak to your little boy,
Or else I
shall be lost.
This passage was the draft for "The
Little Boy Lost" in Songs of Innocence. There are also some happy songs
in Island in the Moon, including that of a school boy, Tilly Lally.
O I say you Joe,
Throw us the ball.
I've a
good mind to go,
And leave you all.(The Complete Writings of William
Blake, p. 60)
Blake's vision of natural
childhood, versus the societal restraints that bind, is also apparent in
Auguries of Innocence, published between 1801 and 1803.The Babe is more than Swadling Bands;
Throughout all these Human
Lands
Tools were made, & Born were hands,
Every Farmer
understands.(Mosaic, Fall 1984, p. 19)
In the
child, "Blake sees the augury of the ideal visionary man, the prophet who has
balanced the four faculties(emotion, imagination, sensation, and reason), and
leads a creatively complete life."(Mosaic, Fall 1984, p. 19)
Erica
Lell
Typically Blake's Songs of Innocence is understood to be a selection of poems for
children. Perhaps this is not quite the case. "It would not be quite true to
say that the Songs of Innocence merely celebrate 'instinctive
behavior' and 'reject the very act of teaching.'"(The Romantic Period,
p. 128) Blake's poetry, rather than specifically advocating anything, is
simply a source of delight. "Blake's Songs subvert the sugared pill
approach to education by removing the pill altogether, and by offering the
pleasure of the composite, illuminated text to adults as well as to
children."(The Romantic Period, p. 128) Blake seems to allude to a role
reversal here. "It is not the child who must be socialized into the world of
the educator, but the educator who needs to be led into the world of the
child."(p. 128) This sentiment sounds like Wordsworth, but the
innocence here is not that which is perceived through an adult consciousness.
Instead, Blake's Songs have simple form, style, and rythym which suggest
songs of children. Remember the role reversal in Blake's "Introduction"
to Songs of Innocence--the Piper obeys the command of the
child.The children walking two and two in red and blue and green
Grey headed beadles walked before them with wands white as snow
Till into the high dome of Pauls they like Thames waters flow.
Pity a human face,
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.
In heathen, Turk, or Jew;
Where Mercy, Love and Pity dwell,
There God is dwelling too.
Blake has been recognized as a benevolist poet, and like his predecessors and
contemporaries, he "protested vehemently against conditions and practices which
he held responsible for unhappiness and suffering."(English Childhood,
p. 268) In "The Schoolboy"(Songs of Experience), Blake identifies a
bird in conjunction with the image of the child. In the poem, the child loves
to be outside in the summer, when the birds are singing all around, but going
to school takes joy away.How can the bird that is born for joy
Blake was most definitely
concerned about societal restraints placed on the innocence and uninhibited
humanity inherant in children. The editor of Blake's Innocence and
Experience, Joseph H. Wicksteed, seems to be advocating Blake's own
sentiments in his comments on "The Schoolboy".
Sit in
a cage and sing?
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his
tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring?(Blake's Innocence and
Experience, p. 203)The
poem is winged on reason, not upon scorn and indignation. May it become--as it
deserves--evermore widely heard and wisely marked. England would be sweeter
and stronger in the strength and sweetness of its' childhood were it
so.(Blake's Innocence and Experience, p. 203)
Another indication of how unique and significant art is in conjunction with literature, in the goal of exposing the ills of society, can be seen in Blake's engraved frontispieces for Songs of Innocence and of Experience. The initial difference between the two can be seen in the art. In Songs of Innocence, the frontispiece shows young children at their mother's knee. In Songs of Experience, the children are older and are grieving at the death of their parents. As a daily observer of society around him, Blake did not see his personal conception of a world contented, with happy children, to be the world in reality. Blake's reasoning for this dichotomy, appears to be the fact that the race of men had, in fact, distorted nature.
Other poems in Songs of Experience which advocate the rights of children in a harsh adult society, include "Holy Thursday" and "London". These poems protest "against man-made restrictions that bind the child."(English Childhood, p. 270)
In every Infant's cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg'd manacles I hear.("London", The Complete Writings of William Blake, p.216)
Blakes writings go beyond those of his predecessors and contemporaries in "advocating the emancipation of
childhood."(English Childhood, p. 271) Another poem which follows this
theme is "The Chimney Sweeper", also from Songs of Experience. Here,
instead of delivering the protest himself, Blake uses the voice of a child, who
suffers from social injustice, to cry out against the neglect of childrens'
well being.'And because I am happy and dance and
sing,
Here
we see a bit of an echo of the sentiments of the most revolutionary writers
of the times, specifically Paine, Godwin, and Wollstonecraft.
They think they have done me no injury,
And are gone to praise God
and His priest and King,
Who make up a Heaven of our misery.'(The
Complete Writings of William Blake, p. 212)
The difference Blake observed between children in the world where nature is sovereign, and those in the world before his eyes, and the reasoning for this difference was significant. "Had man been content to live in the golden age of innocence, his childlike delight in God and creation would not have been perverted, and the Songs of Experience would not have been necessary.(English Childhood, p. 269)
Children's Advocacy and ReligionIn so
many of the poems in Songs of Experience, there is a theme of freedom
from the institutions of society. The church itself is not absent from those
institutions under attack. In "The Little Vagabond", Blake tells of the
spiritual neglect of the church.
Dear mother, dear
mother, the Church is cold;
But the Alehouse is healthy, and pleasant, and
warm.
Besides, I can tell where I am used well;
The poor parsons with
wind like a blown bladder swell.(The Poetical Works of William Blake, p.
110)
The naive child points out the
difference between the bleakness of the church and the warmth of the alehouse,
and we see how out of touch the chuch has been with the masses. Protests had
already begun against the traditional curriculum in many schools, and there was
want of a closer relationship between priests and parishoners, with
intelligible sermons. The child in "The Little Vagabond" notices that parsons
are lacking in the ability to attract and comfort souls. However, if the
church reorganized and reformed its' administration, all men would be
happy.
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.(The Poetical Works of William Blake, p. 110)
Blake seems to believe in the power of nature over the power
of man. He is against the church, the school, and any other institution that
takes nature out of the child, and thus makes a mockery of God's creation. "Blake's
fundimentally naturalistic conception in Songs of Innocence is in
harmony with the part of Christianity which exalts the innocence and purity of
the child heart."(English Childhood, p. 281) Blake's writings have a
child-like enthusiasm, inspired by High Christian teachings and naturalistic
philosophy. The Christian and the natural do not, however, cancel each other
out. Blake used the vocabulary which was available--thus we read words like,
"Shepherd," "Lamb," "God," "Angel," "Heaven," "Father," and "Maker." Though
these words do have a Christian slant, Blake does not necessarily use them in
their traditional theological sense. The children in Blake's poetry speak of
their "maker" as of a friend--not mentioning the idea of an external,
omnipresent "God."
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.(The Poetical Works of William Blake, p. 110)
Though many may think this sentiment Blasphemy, coupled with Blake's denouncement of the institutional "church," Blake's children were in reality, paying God, and Christianity, the highest of compliments. The untutored acceptance of God as one of their own kind, which Blake's children express, is a sign of inborn reverence, and this idea fits in very well with Blake's natural religion.
Works other than Songs of Innocence and of Experience
Poetical Sketches was
Blake's first work of significance. It was not "published" per se, but came in
"loose sheets with a blue-gray wrapper."(Windows of the Morning, p. 29)
Blake begins with an advertisement:The following sketches were the
product of an untutored youth, commenced in his twelvth and occasionally
returned to by the author till his twentieth year...(The Poetical Works of
William Blake, p. 2)
As Blake wrote these poems when he was
quite young, the themes are innocent--nature, the seasons, love, joy--things of
interest to young people. The poems show children as Blake felt that God had
intended them to be--playing Blind Man's Buff, and enjoying life, not being
forced into the societal roles of little adults.
In 1793, Blake published another work for children, this one being of divine nature. For Children: The Gates of Paradise was, in its' original form, "a simple picture-book 'For Children', consisting of a frontispiece, title page, and sixteen engraved plates of emblematic designs."(English Childhood, p. 264)
One more example of Blake's works for children, is Songs from An Island in the Moon, published in 1784. Many of the songs in this selection were used as drafts for some of the poems in Songs of Innocence. For example:
O father, father, where are you going?
Oh do not walk so fast;
Oh speak, father, speak to your little boy,
Or else I shall be lost.
This passage was the draft for "The
Little Boy Lost" in Songs of Innocence. There are also some happy songs
in Island in the Moon, including that of a school boy, Tilly Lally.
O I say you Joe,
Throw us the ball.
I've a
good mind to go,
And leave you all.(The Complete Writings of William
Blake, p. 60)
Blake's vision of natural
childhood, versus the societal restraints that bind, is also apparent in
Auguries of Innocence, published between 1801 and 1803.The Babe is more than Swadling Bands;
In the
child, "Blake sees the augury of the ideal visionary man, the prophet who has
balanced the four faculties(emotion, imagination, sensation, and reason), and
leads a creatively complete life."(Mosaic, Fall 1984, p. 19)
Throughout all these Human
Lands
Tools were made, & Born were hands,
Every Farmer
understands.(Mosaic, Fall 1984, p. 19)
Erica
Lell