Tiger, tiger

[osprey_archer]

I first read this poem in Amelia Atwater-Rhodes debut novel, In the Forests of the Night, thus proving that good poetry can lie in the most unexpected places. It remains my favorite William Blake poem. Such atmosphere!

The Tyger
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 seize 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 water'd 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?

Comments

[c-maxx.livejournal.com]

Great poem!

I wonder if Blake saw a tiger, or a tiger skin? A live animal would have been a lot of trouble to transport back in those days...

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I do not know. Blake being Blake, it is also possible that he had a vision of a tiger, and wrote from that.

[c-maxx.livejournal.com]

Entirely possible!

His vision of a tiger is about as awful- in both the old and new senses- as an encounter with a real one would be.

"Did he who made the Lamb make thee?"

[entwashian.livejournal.com]

... but did you read past that first novel? XD

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I have actually read all her novels, except the last couple of shapeshifter books because they got boring. They are not, objectively speaking, all that good, but the ones that I like really hit me in the id.

However, her work seems to be ebbing away from its early idtasticness, which is unfortunate given that the idtasticness was really its strength.

[entwashian.livejournal.com]

LOL! I read the first one, and that was more than enough for me. XD

ETA: Have you read the counter-piece to this poem, about the lamb?

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I think so. But it was ages upon ages ago; it didn't strike me the way this poem did.

[entwashian.livejournal.com]

No, it's not as good, but it's more interesting when read with this one. XD