Analysis of Auguries of Innocence



To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

A Robin Red breast in a Cage
Puts all Heaven in a Rage.
A dove house fill'd with doves & Pigeons
Shudders Hell thro' all its regions.
A dog starv'd at his Master's Gate
Predicts the ruin of the State.
A Horse misus'd upon the Road
Calls to Heaven for Human blood.
Each outcry of the hunted Hare
A fibre from the Brain does tear.
A Skylark wounded in the wing,
A Cherubim does cease to sing.
The Game Cock clipp'd and arm'd for fight
Does the Rising Sun affright.
Every Wolf's & Lion's howl
Raises from Hell a Human Soul.
The wild deer, wand'ring here & there,
Keeps the Human Soul from Care.
The Lamb misus'd breeds public strife
And yet forgives the Butcher's Knife.
The Bat that flits at close of Eve
Has left the Brain that won't believe.
The Owl that calls upon the Night
Speaks the Unbeliever's fright.
He who shall hurt the little Wren
Shall never be belov'd by Men.
He who the Ox to wrath has mov'd
Shall never be by Woman lov'd.
The wanton Boy that kills the Fly
Shall feel the Spider's enmity.
He who torments the Chafer's sprite
Weaves a Bower in endless Night.
The Catterpillar on the Leaf
Repeats to thee thy Mother's grief.
Kill not the Moth nor Butterfly,
For the Last Judgement draweth nigh.
He who shall train the Horse to War
Shall never pass the Polar Bar.
The Beggar's Dog & Widow's Cat,
Feed them & thou wilt grow fat.
The Gnat that sings his Summer's song
Poison gets from Slander's tongue.
The poison of the Snake & Newt
Is the sweat of Envy's Foot.
The poison of the Honey Bee
Is the Artist's Jealousy.
The Prince's Robes & Beggars' Rags
Are Toadstools on the Miser's Bags.
A truth that's told with bad intent
Beats all the Lies you can invent.
It is right it should be so;
Man was made for Joy & Woe;
And when this we rightly know
Thro' the World we safely go.
Joy & Woe are woven fine,
A Clothing for the Soul divine;
Under every grief & pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.
The Babe is more than swadling Bands;
Throughout all these Human Lands
Tools were made, & born were hands,
Every Farmer Understands.
Every Tear from Every Eye
Becomes a Babe in Eternity.
This is caught by Females bright
And return'd to its own delight.
The Bleat, the Bark, Bellow & Roar
Are Waves that Beat on Heaven's Shore.
The Babe that weeps the Rod beneath
Writes Revenge in realms of death.
The Beggar's Rags, fluttering in Air,
Does to Rags the Heavens tear.
The Soldier arm'd with Sword & Gun,
Palsied strikes the Summer's Sun.
The poor Man's Farthing is worth more
Than all the Gold on Afric's Shore.
One Mite wrung from the Labrer's hands
Shall buy & sell the Miser's lands:
Or, if protected from on high,
Does that whole Nation sell & buy.
He who mocks the Infant's Faith
Shall be mock'd in Age & Death.
He who shall teach the Child to Doubt
The rotting Grave shall ne'er get out.
He who respects the Infant's faith
Triumph's over Hell & Death.
The Child's Toys & the Old Man's Reasons
Are the Fruits of the Two seasons.
The Questioner, who sits so sly,
Shall never know how to Reply.
He who replies to words of Doubt
Doth put the Light of Knowledge out.
The Strongest Poison ever known
Came from Caesar's Laurel Crown.
Nought can deform the Human Race
Like the Armour's iron brace.
When Gold & Gems adorn the Plow
To peaceful Arts shall Envy Bow.
A Riddle or the Cricket's Cry
Is to Doubt a fit Reply.
The Emmet's Inch & Eagle's Mile
Make Lame Philosophy to smile.
He who Doubts from what he sees
Will ne'er believe, do what you Please.
If the Sun & Moon should doubt
They'd immediately Go out.
To be in a Passion you Good may do,
But no Good if a Passion is in you.
The Whore & Gambler, by the State
Licenc'd, build that Nation's Fate.
The Harlot's cry from Street to Street
Shall weave Old England's winding Sheet.
The Winner's Shout, the Loser's Curse,
Dance before dead England's Hearse.
Every Night & every Morn
Some to Misery are Born.
Every Morn & every Night
Some are Born to sweet Delight.
Some ar Born to sweet Delight,
Some are born to Endless Night.
We are led to Believe a Lie
When we see not Thro' the Eye
Which was Born in a Night to Perish in a Night
When the Soul Slept in Beams of Light.
God Appears & God is Light
To those poor Souls who dwell in the Night,
But does a Human Form Disp


Scheme ABAB CCDDEEXXFFGGHAXXFFIIJJHHKKXXLMHHNNLLOXPPXXXXMMQQRRSSSSTTTTUUUULMHHOOXVFFWWOOUULLXVYYXVDDLLYYXXZZ1 1 LL2 2 3 3 YY4 4 EE5 5 6 6 7 7 HHHHLLHHHHX
Poetic Form
Metre 110100111 001000110 10100001111 001000110 01011001 1110001 01111110 10111110 01111101 01010101 01010101 11101101 1110101 01010111 0110001 011111 01110111 101011 1001101 10110101 0111111 1010111 01011101 01010101 01111111 11011101 01110101 1011 11110101 11010111 11011111 11011101 01011101 1101100 111011 10100101 01101 01111101 1101110 1011011 11110111 11010101 011101 111111 01111101 101111 0101011 101111 01010101 1010100 0101101 111011 01111101 11011101 1111111 111111 0111101 1011101 111101 01010101 1010011 1011101 0111111 0111101 101101 1001001 100111001 010100100 111111 00111101 0101101 11111101 01110101 1010111 01110001 1110101 0101111 110101 01110111 1101111 1111011 111011 11010111 1111011 1110101 111011 11110111 01011111 11010101 11011 01101110 10110110 01001111 11011101 11011111 11011101 01010101 1110101 1110101 101101 1110101 11011101 01010101 1110101 011101 11010011 1111111 11011111 101111 10100011 1100101111 1111010101 0110101 111101 0111111 11110101 0101011 1011101 10011001 1110011 10011001 1111101 1111101 1111101 11110101 1111101 111001110001 10110111 101111 111111001 1101011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 4,214
Words 831
Sentences 59
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 4, 127
Lines Amount 131
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 1,669
Words per stanza (avg) 416
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 12, 2023

4:26 min read
355

William Blake

William Blake was an English poet, painter and printmaker. more…

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