Introduction
By William Blake
Piping
down the valleys wild,
Piping
songs of peasant glee,
On a
cloud I saw a child,
And
he, laughing, said to me:
Pipe a
song about a lamb!’
So I
piped with merry cheer.
‘Piper,
pipe that song again;’
So I
piped: he wept to hear.
‘Drop
thy pipe, thy happy pipe;
Sing
thy songs of happy cheer!’
So I
sang the same again,
While
he wept with joy to hear.
‘Piper,
sit thee down and write
In a
book, that all may read.’
So he
vanished from my sight;
And I
plucked a hollow reed,
And i
made a rural pen,
And i
stain’d the water clear,
And I
wrote my happy songs
Every
child may joy to hear.
The
poem opens William Blake’s hugely influential and monumental collection “Songs
of Innocence” (1789), a book of poems embodying one of what Blake called “the
two contrary states of the human soul” (as contrasted with experience, which he
would explore in 1794 omnibus volume “Songs of Innocence and Experience). The
poem sets the tone for the entire collection, presenting themes of innocence,
simplicity, and the divine inspiration of poetry. In this poem, Blake’s alter
ego-a wandering piper explains how he came to write his poems through a
conversation with a visionary child who appears on a cloud, delights in his
music and demands that he write his songs down so that “every child may joy to
hear” them.
First
Stanza
In
the first stanza the speaker who is a piper, is described as wandering through
a natural and untamed landscape, playing joyful tunes on his pipe. The imagery
of “valleys wild” evokes a sense of unspoiled nature and freedom. The piper’s
music is characterized by “pleasant glee,” indicating its joyful an innocent
nature. The encounter with a child on a cloud introduces a mystical element,
suggesting a connection between the earthly and the celestial. The child’s
laughter and presence on a cloud symbolize purity, innocence, and possibly a
divine or angelic figure.
Second
Stanza
In
the second stanza, the child requests the piper to play a song about a lamb. The
lamb is a symbol of innocence and gentleness and it is often associated with Jesus
Christ in Christian symbolism. The piper complies and happily plays the song. The
child’s reaction is profound; asking for the song to be repeated and started
weeping upon hearing it again. This could be interpreted as an emotional response
to the beauty and purity of the song, or it might hint at a deeper, spiritual
resonance with the themes of innocence and divine love. It could also be interpreted
in the sense that innocent and pure often suffer in this corrupt and malicious
world.
Third
Stanza
In
this stanza, the child instructs the piper to put down his pipe and instead
sing the songs. The transition from playing the pipe to singing suggest a move
from simple, instrumental music to the more direct and personal expression of
human voice. The piper obeys and sings, and once again, the child responds with
weeping, this time explicitly described as “wept with joy”. This reinforces the
idea that the songs are deeply moving and filled with an innocent, joyful essence
that resonates profoundly with the child.
Fourth
Stanza
In
the fourth stanza, the child instructs the piper to write the songs down in a
book so that the others can read and share in the joy. This marks the transition
from oral to written tradition, suggesting the importance of preserving these
innocent songs for posterity. The child then vanishes, signifying the end of
the mystical vision. The piper’s act of plucking a hollow reed to use as a pen
emphasizes the simplicity and naturalness of his tools, aligning with the
themes of nature and innocence.
Fifth
Stanza
Here,
the piper uses the hollow reed to create a pen and writes his “happy songs”
with it. The act of staining “the water clear” suggests the blending of
innocence with the act of creation, as clear water symbolizes purity. The piper’s
intention is to create something that every child can enjoy, underscoring the
themes of universal accessibility and the sharing of innocence and joy through
art.
Analysis
of the Poem
The
poem encapsulates Blake’s vision of poetry as a divine and innocent art form. The
interaction between the piper and the mystical child suggests that true
inspiration comes from a place of purity and joy. The transition form piping to
singing, and finally to writing, mirrors the process of artistic creation, from
spontaneous expression to deliberate crafting and preservation. The child,
possibly a divine or angelic figure, serves as guide, directing the piper to share
his songs with the world, thereby spreading the message of innocence and joy inherent
in the “Songs of Innocence”.
Blake’s
use of simple language and pastoral imagery emphasizes the themes of purity and
the natural world, aligning with the Romantic idealization of childhood and
nature as sources of spiritual insight and artistic inspiration. The poem
serves as a fitting prologue to the collection, inviting readers into a world
of innocence and wonder.
Comments
Post a Comment