Poetry Sunday: The Tyger by William Blake

I seem to be stuck in the poetry of my youth these days. (I really need to read more current-day poets!) And this is one of the very earliest poems I can remember. After all these years, it is still a favorite.

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

  1. David M. Gascoigne,September 28, 2025 at 5:49 AM

    I remember this so well from my schooldays. I doubt that I have read it since so I appreciate the chance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 28, 2025 at 10:31 AM

      Isn't it interesting how things read in childhood linger with us?

      Delete
  2. jabblogSeptember 28, 2025 at 7:40 AM

    I remember two teachers I worked with arguing about this poem, one saying it was quite appropriate to teach infants, the other disagreeing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 28, 2025 at 10:34 AM

      I guess I can understand why someone might argue against. Perhaps it could be scary to some sensitive children.

      Delete
  3. AlanaSeptember 28, 2025 at 3:47 PM

    I do not remember the poem at all, except for the first verse. I don't consciously remember studying it in school.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 29, 2025 at 6:57 PM

      Well, there's a lot that I don't consciously remember studying. Still, it lingers somewhere in my subconscious, I think.

      Delete
  4. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzSeptember 29, 2025 at 5:51 PM

    One of the contemporary poems I love during these fraught times is Gate A-4 by Naomi Shihab Nye. It's a long poem but it's beautiful.

    I would love to read more Blake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 29, 2025 at 6:55 PM

      I agree about the Nye piece. I reread it just now to remind myself and it is lovely.

      Delete
  5. MELODY JACOBSeptember 30, 2025 at 11:13 AM

    You absolutely picked one of the most powerful poems in the English language! It's understandable why you're "stuck" on "The Tyger"—it's a perfect blend of mystery and terrifying beauty. That final stanza, where Blake asks if the creator of the gentle Lamb also made the fearful Tyger, always gives me chills.

    www.melodyjacob.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lux G.September 30, 2025 at 4:14 PM

    OMG, racking my brain but can't remember reading this poem.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lark September 30, 2025 at 4:40 PM

    This poem always reminds me of Mary Stewart's novel Nine Coaches Waiting.

    ReplyDelete

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