Auguries of Innocence

William Blake’s “Auguries of Innocence” is believed to have been composed around 1803 but was discovered in the poet’s diaries only after his death and finally published in 1863. The 132-line-long poem is structured mostly as prophetic couplets, which frequently contain paradoxes and unusual imagery. The poem’s first stanza is written like a ballad or song with an ABAB rhyme scheme, but the rest of it comprises rhyming couplets in the AA scheme. At times resembling a prophetic sermon and at times an eerie song, the poem is famous for its animal imagery and its strong themes about social inequality, the oppression of animals and children, and God’s divine justice. Considered a masterpiece of Romantic poetry, “Auguries of Innocence” is a distinct standalone poem in Blake’s canon.

Poet Biography

Born in London on November 28, 1757, to hosiery merchant James Blake and his wife Catherine, William Blake was one of seven siblings. As a child, Blake struggled to fit in at school and reported seeing mystical visions of angels and Old Testament prophets. Initially worried that Blake was lying about the visions, his parents soon understood that their son would benefit more from an unconventional education. Blake dropped out of school at the age of 10, and his parents enrolled him in drawing classes, as he desired. Blake learned by copying prints of Greek antiquities and Medieval and Renaissance art as part of his practice, and was heavily influenced by the works of artists like Michelangelo and Raphael. When he was 14, Blake began to write poetry. He also became an apprentice to an engraver to support himself.

Combining his poetic and artistic talents with his mystical streak, Blake began to develop a distinctive oeuvre: poems published in small batches with accompanying illustrations, much like the hand-crafted illustrated manuscripts of medieval times. The process of producing the manuscripts was intensive: The illustrations were printed from copper plates, and each copy colored in by hand. The art, mostly in glowing, jewel-rich colors, was striking and printed beside the text. In 1782, Blake married Catherine Boucher, whom he taught how to read and write. Catherine later helped Blake produce his illustrated manuscripts, which Blake termed “illuminated poetry.”

Songs of Innocence, Blake’s first major collection of poems, was published in 1789, while Songs of Experience came out in 1793. The works were published as Songs of Innocence and of Experience in 1794. The works are now considered classics but attracted little critical attention in Blake’s own time. Many people interpreted the poems in Songs of Innocence and of Experience—deliberately written like nursery rhymes—literally, ignoring the symbolism and social satire in the works; others simply did not approve of Blake’s unique poetic style. It also did not help sales that Blake’s books could only be produced in very small batches at a time, making them cost- and labor-intensive. As a result, Blake never made money off his writings, eking out an income only as an engraver and illustrator.

Songs of Innocence and of Experience illustrates many of Blake’s thematic concerns. Blake considered that innocence is the natural state of human beings, as exemplified by the innocence of the young child. In the state of innocence, it is natural to believe, imagine, and see reality beyond the obvious. As human beings grow up, innocence is crushed by the corruption of oppressive forces and one’s own growing doubt. However, not all is lost: Through faith, imagination, and an acute social consciousness, human beings can reenter the state of innocence. This hard-won second innocence helps people not only see the ultimate spiritual reality but also to do good by all creatures.

It is a myth that Blake was cut off from the other prominent figures of the Romantic movement. In fact, Blake often met radical intellectuals, writers, and artists of his time at the home of publisher Joseph Johnson. Although it is not clear if he ever met early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (the mother of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein), he was influenced by her ideas and illustrated the second edition of her Original Stories from Real Life (1791). Like fellow poet William Wordsworth, Blake supported the French Revolution. Blake also critiqued the conventional institution of marriage and believed in greater rights for women and children. In Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1793), Blake presented the radical idea that women did not need to marry to achieve fulfilment.

As Blake continued to develop his radical philosophies and receive mystical visions, he also studied classics in their original Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. In the second phase of his career, he moved on to writing what are called his epic poems, often containing esoteric visions and complex philosophical ideas. “Auguries of Innocence” heralds this phase. Milton was published between 1804 and 1808, and Jerusalem from 1804 to 1820. Jerusalem, an epic that does not have a definite plot or rhyme and contains apocalyptic themes, cemented Blake’s reputation as an eccentric. When his art was shown at his brother James’s home in 1809, it too received a mixed response, with many finding Blake’s illustrations of nudes and Hell too odd. In 1825, Blake was commissioned to design illustrations for an edition of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy (written 1302-1351). The income from the commission was barely enough for Blake and Catherine to survive, and the poet battled poverty in his last days.

Consumed with illustrating Dante’s work, Blake often ignored signs of his growing ill health. He died in London on August 12, 1827, just hours after completing one of the illustrations for the Dante manuscript. It is said he sang hymns in the hours before his death, overcome perhaps by a divine vision. The Blakes were nearly bankrupt at the time of his death, and Catherine had to borrow money for William’s funeral. When he died, Blake had sold barely 30 copies of the Songs of Innocence and of Experience. It was only after the publication of his biography in 1863 (in which “Auguries of Innocence” was first printed) that scholars took notice of Blake.

By the end of the 19th century, interest in Blake’s works rose phenomenally, with the great Modernist poet William Butler Yeats counting Blake as a mentor. Poems like “The Tyger” (1793) and “The Chimney Sweeper” (1789) are now among the most widely anthologized in the English language. In more recent times, artists influenced by Blake have included figures as diverse as singer-songwriter Jim Morrison and novelist Philip Pullman. Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy (1995-2000) and its sequel volumes The Book of Dust (2017- ) draw many of their themes from Blake’s poetry and philosophy.

Poem Text

Blake, William. “Auguries of Innocence.” 1803. Poetry Foundation.

Summary

The speaker describes the signs (auguries) that reveal a state of innocence. In a state of innocence, one can find an entire universe in a grain of sand, and heavenly delights in the beauty of a single wild flower. The torture or imprisonment of an animal hurts the innocent, violating the laws of nature and God and leading to both moral debasement and civil unrest. The innocent have a true belief in nature and its wonders, while those who cannot find magic in nature’s daily miracles are unbelievers and are denied life’s pleasures by nature itself.

The caterpillar exhorts humans not to repeat “thy Mother’s grief” (Line 38) or the mistake of Eve, mother of humanity, in choosing experience over innocence. Before humans crush the caterpillar, the moth, or the butterfly, they must remember that the Last Judgement—the day God will deliver the final verdict to all souls—is close. On that day, every human will be held accountable for each sin. People who use animals, such as the horse, for warfare will be judged, while those who feed the animals of the poor will never go hungry themselves. According to the poem’s speaker, humans must act thoughtfully because all their actions influence the larger universe. One must also accept that joy and grief are equal parts of human existence: Those who know this truth have safe passage through life.

A human is both matter and spirit; artificial tools and nature-made hands are inseparable. Every tear shed is caught by “Females bright” (Line 69), benevolent Goddesses like the Graces of Greek mythology, and turned into an innocent baby. Matter and spirit are so inseparable that ordinary natural phenomena touch the spiritual world. All forms of violence and abuse damage the world and the human spirit. 

The poet extolls the value of the poor and the honest laborer over the rich miser. Those who do not understand reality mock the innocent magical beliefs of children. Age and death will mock such people one day, because mortality too is a kind of magic. Only those who respect a child’s capacity for belief and participate in such belief themselves will be rewarded with eternal heavenly life. Children play with toys and old people play with reasons or thoughts. Those who accept both kinds of play as valid are wise, while those who pedantically question spiritual reality will be left with no answers. Both war and untrammeled power harm the human spirit: An idyllic state will arise when, instead of violent pursuits like power and war, peaceful arts like poetry and farming will be revered. In this state, gems will adorn the plow—the symbol of hard work.

The poet denounces pedantry and philosophical arrogance. Infusing one’s work with passion is good, but getting consumed by passion is counterproductive. In the England of the speaker’s day, prostitution and gambling are legal. This fact shows the nation is doomed, since the exploited prostitute’s cry will wrap the country’s dead soul (corpse) in a sheet. The corrupt will dance mockingly around the hearse carrying England’s corpse.

Every morning and night, people are born in this world to go through life’s joy and sorrows. It is up to each individual to delight in life’s many colors or suffer through the endless night of loneliness and ignorance. One is born to “sweet delight” (Line 122) when they realize that the world the five senses perceive is not the only reality, as the soul is eternal. In the material world of the senses, represented by night, God appears as a ray of light, but to those who can see the spiritual realm of eternal daylight with their imagination, God appears in his true human form.