Songs of Innocence and of Experience

Credits and rights

Original writer

William Blake

Publisher of this edition

BoingyBooks Classics

Original publisher

Project Gutenberg

Adaptation credits

John Shoufler / BoingyBooks Classics — digital edition

Original source / edition

Songs of Innocence and of Experience

License

Public Domain

License link

https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

Rights and adaptation notice

This work is in the public domain. John Shoufler published this digital edition through BoingyBooks Classics. The original work remains public domain and may be copied, adapted, and shared.

Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake (1789/1794)

"Tyger Tyger, burning bright, / In the forests of the night." Blake's paired collections contrast the innocent wonder of childhood with the dark experience of the adult world. Each poem in Innocence has a shadowy counterpart in Experience.

Historical Significance:
William Blake published Songs of Innocence in 1789 and Songs of Experience in 1794, combining them with the subtitle "Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul." Blake hand-printed and hand-colored each copy using a technique he called "illuminated printing," making every copy unique. During his lifetime, he was considered eccentric at best, mad at worst. Today he is recognized as one of the greatest poets and artists in English history. "The Tyger," "The Lamb," "London," and "The Sick Rose" are among the most anthologized poems in the English language.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1789/1794. Free to read and share.