Ashley McNabb
English 335 – British Romantic Literature
Dr. Foss
November 16, 2006
“Auguries of Innocence”: solving the mystery that is William Blake
William Blake considered himself to be a poet, a prophet, and a visionary. The literary community has recognized him as a radical Christian, a revolutionary, and a creator of beautiful poetry and paintings. However, his poetry has facilitated confusion in the past concerning his true beliefs on his society and religion, and this uncertainty has been due to his realistic use of binaries, often deconstructive binaries. In his two major works, Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience , he presents two dramatically different perceptions of the world: one idealistic and one terrifyingly realistic, respectively. However, Blake composed a lesser-known, posthumous publication later in his life entitled “Auguries of Innocence” in which it seems that his intentions and the culmination of his wisdom are clarified. In this work, Blake contrasts and exhibits the effects and power of both innocence and experience, and in doing so, it becomes clear that he privileges innocence and joy over the negativity of experience. He emphasizes nature’s power and connection with God, and he uses the innocent and unblemished state of nature, among other things, to present encouragement to his fellow Englishmen on the hopeful and “innocent” lives that they have the capability of leading and also to elucidate his absolute belief in the power of humankind’s righteous potential.
To many, William Blake presents a literary puzzle; within his major works, Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience , he seems to contradict himself. Anne Mellor and
Richard Matlak suggest that Songs of Innocence represents many of the idealistic beliefs that Blake held to be true during the first part of his writing career. Through these poems,
Blake hoped to paint a profound picture of the faith, moral goodness, and strength that
1

Ashley McNabb
English 335 – British Romantic Literature
Dr. Foss
November 16, 2006 man has the capacity to possess. Songs of Experience , published five years later, presents a parallel view of life from the completely opposite angle and perspective; these poems convey the drudgery of reality through a very bitter and foreboding tone. By comparing these two works, an inexperienced reader may not understand which perspective Blake possesses himself and wishes to emphasize. Written late in his career, “Auguries of
Innocence” provides us with a key as to how we, as literary analysts, should interpret
Blake’s earlier works.
As a text, the form and format of “Auguries of Innocence” is very appropriate to the situation in which it was written and to the purpose that it hopes to achieve. The proverbial couplets that make up the poem are reminiscent of Confucius’s sayings and stick out to the reader as being small gems of wisdom or of warning. Also, the word
“augury” itself refers to divination and acts as an omen or a portent. This gives the
Blakean scholar some insight into the author’s purpose in writing such a piece: Blake meant to write his strongest prophesy of all and use tokens of innocence to describe his world and comment upon it.
The content and message of this poem offers an understanding of the power of innocence in a large part through glimpses of nature. Blake uses celestial diction and detail in conjunction with acts committed mainly against animals and members of nature to make claims about what constitutes “good” behavior, rather than evil. Building upon the foundation that nature epitomizes purity and absolute virtue, he praises and glamorizes innocence through the vehicle of the animal kingdom and warns those who harm the innocent, thus exhibiting the negative results of sin and pessimism or, in Blake’s terms, experience. Simple statements such as, “He who shall hurt the little Wren / Shall
2

Ashley McNabb
English 335 – British Romantic Literature
Dr. Foss
November 16, 2006 never be belovd by Men” (29-30) and “The Gnat that sings his Summers song / Poison gets from Slanders tongue” (45-46) epitomize this idea and impact readers very quickly and clearly. Similarly, Blake continues to increase an awareness of both innocence and experience through the metaphorical vehicles of children and the poor.
These tidbits of wisdom and warning speak directly to the English of Blake’s time and serve a twofold purpose; they work to encourage readers into living and accomplishing a life that exercises the characteristics of innocence and righteousness, and in turn, they warn and attempt to arouse fear in those who do not care for or believe in these practices. In his previously printed and mentioned works, Blake establishes his belief that life can be viewed optimistically and innocently as well as bleakly; Songs of
Experience strikes any reader with immense sorrow and pity for those suffering under the specified conditions. By clarifying and simplifying his purpose in ”Auguries of
Innocence,” Blake endorses innocence and hopes to show the benefits of leading the optimistic life and working towards moral innocence; these benefits are presented as acceptance by nature (a reigning power in this world) and a self-manifestation of divinity, a concept that is emphasized in Blake’s closing lines, mentioned later.
Blake’s endorsement of innocence is evident as he increases the reader’s awareness of both innocence and experience through his frank statements regarding joy and woe. In the later stages of his career, he is able to directly state that “Man was made for Joy & Woe” (56) and “Joy & Woe are woven fine” (59) thus further illuminating his purpose in Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience
; it is man’s lot to experience both, and Blake clearly emphasizes the value of embracing joy wherever it may be found.
He concludes that “Under every grief & pine / Runs a joy with silken twine,” and the
3

Ashley McNabb
English 335 – British Romantic Literature
Dr. Foss
November 16, 2006 reader may gain a firmer grasp of his ultimate support of innocence and righteousness
(61-62).
Blake broadens his metaphoric scope as the poem continues to address a grander social scheme. He begins to address England more directly and more negatively as he mentions the roles of the whore, the gambler, and harlots. He states that these individuals
“build [their] Nations Fate” (114) and “Shall weave Old Englands winding Sheet” (116) or in other words, these undeniably “experienced” characters begin to define and represent their country. This seems to act as a warning or omen to the English about the fate of their nation, in extremist terms, if individuals of experienced are given power or vinfluence.
Blake concludes his poem by reinforcing his original idea from Songs of
Innocence that God works as man and that humankind is capable of achieving the divinity of God within itself as well as seeing everything in a holy light. His closing lines,
God Appears & God is Light
To those poor Souls who dwell in Night
But does a Human Form Display
To those who Dwell in Realms of day (129-132) suggest two very uplifting and encouraging things to Blake’s readers. Firstly, it assures that God is ever-present as a Guide and as a Comforter for those who suffer. Secondly, it asserts one of Blake’s strongest beliefs, that God dwells in the world as in the form of a man and therefore every member of humankind has the ability and the potential to be kind, patient, and longsuffering – divine, in a sense – just as God is. For Blake’s contemporaneous readers, this offers hope of success and happiness through hard and honest work as well as protection and love from a superior Being.
4

Ashley McNabb
English 335 – British Romantic Literature
Dr. Foss
November 16, 2006
“Auguries of Innocence” was not published until 1863, 36 years after Blake’s death and 60 years after its composition, and it is still not widely studied and analyzed today. However, it serves quite well to easily and simply define Blake’s true beliefs and philosophies regarding life and society, and it illuminates the intensity and extent of his religious fervor and faith in mankind’s potential innocence. Blake presents innocence in opposition to, yet not ignoring, the presence of experience and hardships in this world, and he prophesies that all endeavors toward innocent and pure lives are ultimately more valuable and rewarding than accepting the torment and cynicism of experience.
Therefore, studied along with his two widely-known publications, Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience , this poem provides readers and scholars today with a clarifying tool to assist in the discovery of Blake’s priorities as a Romantic idealist and writer.
5