Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake - Mini Poem Summaries

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Songs of Innocence

 Introduction
A child, delighted by the songs of a piper, urges him to put them in writing.

 The Little Black Boy
A mother teaches her black son that after long travail on earth, god awaits, as well as heaven, where everyone is equal.

 The Chimney Sweeper
Little boy Tom has a dream that an angel releases all the chimney sweepers  to heaven, and is comforted.

 Infant Joy
A two day old baby is joyful and wishes joy upon others.

Songs of Experience

 The Chimney Sweep
A chimney sweep, who is unhappy, blames his church-going parents and the church for his misery.

 The Sick Rose
A worm destroys a rose

 The Tyger
The speaker wonders at the power of a tiger, and wonders that it was created by the same entity as the lamb.

 The Garden of Love
The garden of Eden turns into a graveyard after a church is built in it.

Illustration by William Blake



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