Songs of Experience is a collection of poems by William Blake, first issued in 1794 together with his earlier Songs of Innocence. Etched and coloured by hand by Blake himself, its poems show the world through the eyes of experience: cities, poverty, jealousy and repression. It contains The Tyger and London.
Two contrary states
Blake combined the two books as Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul.
Many poems form pairs: The Lamb and The Tyger, the two Chimney Sweepers, the two Holy Thursdays.
The Tyger
The Tyger asks, in a series of questions, what power could have created such a fearful and beautiful creature.
Its hammering rhythm and its mystery have made it one of the most famous poems in English.
London
In London, the poet walks through the streets and hears the misery of chimney sweeps, soldiers and the poor.
It is a powerful protest against the social injustice of the city in the age of the French Revolution.
Anecdotes
Illuminated printing
Blake printed his poems with a method he invented, relief etching, then coloured each copy by hand. No two copies are exactly alike.
Few copies
Fewer than thirty copies of the combined Songs printed by Blake are known to survive.
Frequently asked questions
When were the Songs of Experience first issued?
In 1794.
Which poem asks who made the tiger?
The Tyger.
How did Blake print his books?
By relief etching, coloured by hand.