10 Most Famous Poems by William Blake (2024)

William Blake (1757 – 1827) was an English poet, painter and printmaker, who remained largely unknown during his lifetime but rose to prominence after his death and is now considered a highly influential figure in the history of poetry and one of the greatest artists in Britain’s history. Blake’s most renowned work in poetry is Songs of Innocence and of Experience, considered one of the leading poetic works of the Romantic era. His collection often contains poems with similar themes, and at times the same title, to contrast the innocent world of childhood in Songs of Innocence with the corruption and repression of the adult world in Songs of Experience. Blake was deeply opposed to slavery; oppression of Church and the ruling classes; and the harmful effects of the Industrial Revolution. These themes often feature in his poems. Here are the 10 most famous poems of William Blake

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#10 The Little Black Boy

Poem:-

My mother bore me in the southern wild,And I am black, but O! my soul is white;White as an angel is the English child: But I am black as if bereav'd of light.My mother taught me underneath a tree And sitting down before the heat of day,She took me on her lap and kissed me,And pointing to the east began to say. Look on the rising sun: there God does live And gives his light, and gives his heat away. And flowers and trees and beasts and men receiveComfort in morning joy in the noonday.And we are put on earth a little space,That we may learn to bear the beams of love, And these black bodies and this sun-burnt faceIs but a cloud, and like a shady grove.For when our souls have learn'd the heat to bear The cloud will vanish we shall hear his voice. Saying: come out from the grove my love & care,And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice.Thus did my mother say and kissed me, And thus I say to little English boy. When I from black and he from white cloud free,And round the tent of God like lambs we joy: Ill shade him from the heat till he can bear, To lean in joy upon our fathers knee. And then I'll stand and stroke his silver hair,And be like him and he will then love me.

Synopsis:-

Published at a time when slavery was legal, The Little Black Boy questions the conventions of the time with basic Christian ideals. The speaker is an African child who tells how his loving mother taught him about himself and God. He then passes on this lesson to an English child telling him that when they are both free of their bodies he will shade his white friend until he, too, learns to bear the heat of God’s love. The Little Black Boy is build on clear imagery of light and dark; and centres on a spiritual awakening to a divine love that transcends race.

#9 Holy Thursday

Poem:-

Twas on a Holy Thursday their innocent faces clean The children walking two & two in red & blue & green Grey-headed beadles walkd before with wands as white as snow,Till into the high dome of Pauls they like Thames waters flow O what a multitude they seemd these flowers of London town Seated in companies they sit with radiance all their own The hum of multitudes was there but multitudes of lambs Thousands of little boys & girls raising their innocent hands Now like a mighty wind they raise to heaven the voice of song Or like harmonious thunderings the seats of Heaven among Beneath them sit the aged men wise guardians of the poor Then cherish pity, lest you drive an angel from your door

Synopsis:-

This title is shared by two poems of William Blake published in Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794). In Songs of Innocence, the poem depicts a ceremony held on Ascension Thursday, which commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. It describes the clean-scrubbed charity-school children of London marching to Saint Paul’s Cathedral. The children in their colourful dresses are compared to flowers. In Songs of Experience, Blake focuses more on society as a whole than on the ceremony. The theme of this poem is the hypocrisy of formal religion and its claimed acts of charity while children are still “reduced to misery”.

#8 The Sick Rose

Poem:-

O Rose thou art sick.The invisible worm,That flies in the nightIn the howling storm:Has found out thy bedOf crimson joy:And his dark secret loveDoes thy life destroy.

Synopsis:-

This is a short poem of two quatrains in which the speaker addresses a rose that is sick as an “invisible” worm has wriggled its way in and infected it. The “dark secret love” of this worm is destroying the rose’s life. The Sick Rose is regarded as one of the most enigmatic poems in the English language. There are numerous interpretations of the poem and many critics interpret it as a poem related to sex. Others consider the worm in the poem to be an agent of corruption and regard it as the direct equivalent of Man. The Sick Rose remains one of the most popular poems of Blake for its perplexing symbolism and various interpretations.

#7 Auguries of Innocence

Poem:-

To see a World in a Grain of SandAnd a Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hourA Robin Red breast in a CagePuts all Heaven in a Rage A Dove house filld with Doves & PigeonsShudders Hell thr' all its regions A dog starvd at his Masters GatePredicts the ruin of the State A Horse misusd upon the RoadCalls to Heaven for Human blood Each outcry of the hunted HareA fibre from the Brain does tear A Skylark wounded in the wing A Cherubim does cease to sing The Game co*ck clipd & armd for fightDoes the Rising Sun affright Every Wolfs & Lions howlRaises from Hell a Human Soul The wild deer, wandring here & there Keeps the Human Soul from Care The Lamb misusd breeds Public StrifeAnd yet forgives the Butchers knife The Bat that flits at close of EveHas left the Brain that wont BelieveThe Owl that calls upon the NightSpeaks the Unbelievers frightHe who shall hurt the little WrenShall never be belovd by Men He who the Ox to wrath has movdShall never be by Woman lovdThe wanton Boy that kills the FlyShall feel the Spiders enmity He who torments the Chafers SpriteWeaves a Bower in endless Night The Catterpiller on the LeafRepeats to thee thy Mothers grief Kill not the Moth nor Butterfly For the Last Judgment draweth nigh He who shall train the Horse to WarShall never pass the Polar Bar The Beggars Dog & Widows Cat Feed them & thou wilt grow fat The Gnat that sings his Summers SongPoison gets from Slanders tongue The poison of the Snake & NewtIs the sweat of Envys Foot The poison of the Honey BeeIs the Artists JealousyThe Princes Robes & Beggars RagsAre Toadstools on the Misers Bags A Truth thats told with bad intentBeats 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 & pineRuns a joy with silken twine The Babe is more than swadling BandsThroughout all these Human LandsTools were made & Born were hands Every Farmer UnderstandsEvery Tear from Every EyeBecomes a Babe in Eternity This is caught by Females brightAnd returnd to its own delight The Bleat the Bark Bellow & Roar Are Waves that Beat on Heavens Shore The Babe that weeps the Rod beneathWrites Revenge in realms of Death The Beggars Rags fluttering in AirDoes to Rags the Heavens tear The Soldier armd with Sword & Gun Palsied strikes the Summers SunThe poor Mans Farthing is worth moreThan all the Gold on Africs ShoreOne Mite wrung from the Labrers handsShall buy & sell the Misers Lands Or if protected from on high Does that whole Nation sell & buy He who mocks the Infants FaithShall be mockd in Age & Death He who shall teach the Child to DoubtThe rotting Grave shall neer get out He who respects the Infants faithTriumphs over Hell & Death The Childs Toys & the Old Mans ReasonsAre the Fruits of the Two seasons The Questioner who sits so sly Shall never know how to Reply He who replies to words of DoubtDoth put the Light of Knowledge out The Strongest Poison ever knownCame from Caesars Laurel Crown Nought can Deform the Human RaceLike to the Armours iron brace When Gold & Gems adorn the PlowTo peaceful Arts shall Envy Bow A Riddle or the Crickets CryIs to Doubt a fit Reply The Emmets Inch & Eagles MileMake Lame Philosophy to smile He who Doubts from what he seesWill neer Believe do what you Please If the Sun & Moon should Doubt Theyd immediately Go out To be in a Passion you Good may Do But no Good if a Passion is in you The whor* & Gambler by the StateLicencd build that Nations Fate The Harlots cry from Street to Street Shall weave Old Englands winding Sheet The Winners Shout the Losers Curse Dance before dead Englands Hearse Every Night & every MornSome to Misery are Born Every Morn and every NightSome are Born to sweet delight Some are Born to sweet delight Some are Born to Endless Night We are led to Believe a LieWhen we see not Thro the EyeWhich was Born in a Night to perish in a Night When the Soul Slept in Beams of Light God Appears & God is LightTo those poor Souls who dwell in Night But does a Human Form DisplayTo those who Dwell in Realms of day

Synopsis:-

Written in 1803, this poem remained unpublished for 60 years till it was published along with Alexander Gilchrist’s biography of William Blake. Auguries of Innocence is a long assembly of different couplets which show cruel situations and auguries (signs) about what might happen if these kinds of injustices continue. In each of the rhyming couplets we see the juxtaposition of innocence and cruelty. The poem serves as a stark warning about the inevitable consequences for society when there is deliberate mistreatment of people and nature. The first four lines of the poem, in which Blake beautifully captures how one can find the universe in the smallest of things, are extremely renowned. Auguries of Innocence is among Blake’s most critically acclaimed works.

#6 The Chimney Sweeper

Poem:-

When my mother died I was very young,And my father sold me while yet my tongueCould scarcely cry " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!"So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his headThat curled like a lamb's back, was shaved, so I said,"Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare,You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."And so he was quiet, & that very night,As Tom was a-sleeping he had such a sight!That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, & Jack,Were all of them locked up in coffins of black;And by came an Angel who had a bright key,And he opened the coffins & set them all free;Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing they run,And wash in a river and shine in the Sun.Then naked & white, all their bags left behind,They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind.And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,He'd have God for his father & never want joy.And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the darkAnd got with our bags & our brushes to work.Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm;So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.

Synopsis:-

This poem was published in two parts in Songs of Innocence and of Experience. During late 18th and early 19th century, child labour was prominent in England and four-five years old boys were sold to clean chimneys as their size was small. William Blake hated child labour and in this poem, he has expressed the difficult lives of working children. In Songs of Innocence, one of the chimney sweeper has a dream in which an angel rescues the boys from coffins and takes them to a sunny meadow; while in Songs of Experience, an adult speaker encounters a child chimney sweeper abandoned in the snow. The Chimney Sweeper is one of the most renowned poems of William Blake and it is considered an influential work on the exploitative nature of child labour.

#5 The Lamb

Poem:-

Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee Gave thee life & bid thee feed. By the stream & o'er the mead;Gave thee clothing of delight,Softest clothing wooly bright;Gave thee such a tender voice,Making all the vales rejoice! Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee Little Lamb I'll tell thee, Little Lamb I'll tell thee!He is called by thy name,For he calls himself a Lamb: He is meek & he is mild, He became a little child: I a child & thou a lamb, We are called by his name. Little Lamb God bless thee. Little Lamb God bless thee.

Synopsis:-

The Lamb is one of the most important poems in Songs of Innocence. It’s parallel in Songs of Experience is Blake’s most famous poem, The Tyger. The Lamb is regarded as a poem on Christianity. In the first stanza, the speaker, a child, asks the lamb how it came into being. In the second stanza, the speaker answers his own question by stating that the lamb was created by one who “calls himself a Lamb”. The lamb is a common metaphor for Jesus Christ, who is also called “The Lamb of God”. The tone of the poem is innocent, simple and reassuring; though it focuses on the deep and complex theme of the nature of creation.

#4 A Poison Tree

Poem:-

I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end.I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I waterd it in fears,Night & morning with my tears: And I sunned it with smiles,And with soft deceitful wiles. And it grew both day and night. Till it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine,And he knew that it was mine. And into my garden stole, When the night had veild the pole; In the morning glad I see; My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

Synopsis:-

A Poison Tree presents two scenario. In the first, the speaker is angry with a friend. He talks about his displeasure with his friend which helps him to overcome his wrath. In the second, he is angry with an enemy but is unable to speak about it. This increases his resentment with time and the feeling of hatred grows within him. Blake then uses the metaphor of a tree growing in the speaker’s garden to demonstrate how the anger continues to grow. The enemy of the speaker sneaks into his garden and eats an apple of this tree, which has been poisoned with hatred. The next morning, the speaker is happy to see that his foe is lying dead under the tree. A Poison Tree talks about the consequences of repressing anger and explores the themes of indignation, revenge and the fallen state of mankind. It is one of the most famous and acclaimed of Blake’s poems.

#3 And did those feet in ancient time

Poem:-

And did those feet in ancient timeWalk upon Englands mountains green:And was the holy Lamb of God,On Englands pleasant pastures seen! And did the Countenance Divine,Shine forth upon our clouded hills?And was Jerusalem builded here,Among these dark Satanic Mills? Bring me my Bow of burning gold:Bring me my arrows of desire:Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!Bring me my Chariot of fire! I will not cease from Mental Fight,Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand:Till we have built Jerusalem,In Englands green & pleasant Land.

Synopsis:-

This is a short poem included in the preface of an epic poem by Blake titled Milton: A Poem in Two Books. Today it is popular as the anthem “Jerusalem”, whose music was composed by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916. It shouldn’t be confused with a much longer poem by Blake called Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion. It is usually interpreted to be describing a Second Coming of Jesus Christ leading to the establishment of a New Jerusalem in England in contrast to the “dark Satanic Mills” of the Industrial Revolution. Jerusalem in the poem is used as a metaphor for Heaven. “Jerusalem” is considered to be England’s most popular patriotic song; and The New York Times stated that it was “fast becoming an alternative national anthem” in England. It is used in many schools in UK and it was the opening hymn for the 2012 London Olympics.

#2 London

Poem:-

I wander thro' each charter'd street,Near where the charter'd Thames does flow. And mark in every face I meetMarks of weakness, marks of woe.In every cry of every Man,In every Infants cry of fear,In every voice: in every ban,The mind-forg'd manacles I hear How the Chimney-sweepers cryEvery blackning Church appalls, And the hapless Soldiers sighRuns in blood down Palace walls But most thro' midnight streets I hearHow the youthful Harlots curseBlasts the new-born Infants tear And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse

Synopsis:-

This poem consists of four quatrains in which the speaker describes the plight of London while he wanders through the city. He uses the term “chartered” for the city streets as well as for River Thames to indicate the oppressive and constraint atmosphere in the region. He sees despair and fear in the faces of the people he meets. Among other things, he talks about the money spent on church buildings while children live in poverty. London presents a bleak view of the city during the Industrial Revolution with the society being corrupt and dominated by materialism. It also points at the contrast between upper and working class people and suggests that the this could lead to a revolution in London like the recent French Revolution.

#1 The Tyger

Poem:-

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?

Synopsis:-

The Tyger is the counterpart to Blake’s poem in Songs of Innocence, The Lamb. In The Tyger, the speaker again focuses on the subject of creation asking who could have made such a terrifying beast as the tiger. The speaker talks about the fearful features of the tiger and wonders “did he who made the Lamb make thee?” before he ends the poem with the question with which he began, “What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”. The Tyger, with its strikingly powerful words, serves as a counter to the innocence and tenderness of The Lamb. It is one of the most analysed poems and Cambridge calls it the “the most anthologized poem in English”. The Tyger is not only the most famous work of William Blake but also one of the most popular poems in the English language.