The Tyger (Powerful Poetry)

"The Tyger" was written by William Blake in 1794 and is one of the great poems that emerged out of the 18th Century. You may note the different spelling of tiger in 1794. This poem conveys the duality of life: The tiger is both beautiful and ferocious. The duality mentioned in this poem is not one of fire against water or good against bad but rather a type of mutual duality, like two faces of the same coin. I would suggest listening with ear/headphones.

Transcript

Tiger, Tiger, Burning bright, In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry? And what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? And what wings dare he aspire, What the hand dare seize the fire? And what shoulder and what art Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand and 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 watered heaven with their tears, Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the lamb make thee? Tiger, Tiger, Burning bright, In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?