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 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 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?
(http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15523)
This was the first poem that I memorized, which really isn't that momentous of an occasion, but I still greatly enjoy this poem. Now that I have memorized a ton of poems for my college classes, I can look back on this one and smile. Enjoy!
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I lovelovelove William Blake. I have a quote by him on my blog (what a surprise, I know. I have a billion quotes on my page... or at least like, three or hour, hah). I'm more obsessed with his paintings than I am his poems, but yeah, I'm always happy to see anything by Blake anywhere.
ReplyDeleteRandom thought... why are we so okay with such blatant rhyme when used by Poets of Old, but we rail against it in our own class/contemporary writing?
Times change.
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