Analysis of Holy Thursday (Experience)

William Blake 1757 (Soho) – 1827 (London)



Is this a holy thing to see.
In a rich and fruitful land.
Babes reduced to misery.
Fed with cold and usurous hand?

Is that trembling cry a song?
Can it be a song of joy?
And so many children poor?
It is a land of poverty!

And their sun does never shine.
And their fields are bleak & bare.
And their ways are fill'd with thorns
It is eternal winter there.

For where-e'er the sun does shine.
And where-e'er the rain does fall:
Babe can never hunger there,
Nor poverty the mind appall.


Scheme ABAB XXXA CDXD CEDE
Poetic Form Quatrain  (75%)
Metre 11010111 0010101 1011100 111011 11100101 1110111 0110101 11011100 0111101 011111 0111111 11010101 11100111 01100111 1110101 11000101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 479
Words 96
Sentences 14
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 93
Words per stanza (avg) 24
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

29 sec read
596

William Blake

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

All William Blake poems | William Blake Books

27 fans

Discuss this William Blake poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Holy Thursday (Experience)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/39104/holy-thursday-%28experience%29>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    2
    hours
    44
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which of the following was the last to evolve?
    A Dithyramb
    B Tragedy
    C Invective
    D Epic poetry