"The Tyger" by William Blake (poetry reading)

The artwork is Blake's original from Songs of Experience, designed after 1789 and printed around 1826.

This is the text with punctuation to match the original:

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & 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 water'd heaven with their tears;
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger, Tyger burning bright
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Tiger
• Tyger
• William
• Blake

[GodmyX]

I love your voice!

[SpokenVerse]

@SpokenVerse There are so many words that have changed pronunciation. Reading "symmetry" as sim-et-TRY would sound very strange to modern ears. "Utensil" used to be pronouced You-ten-SIL not You-TEN-sil for instance. The convention is to go with modern pronuciation - the rhyme is close enough. Thanks for commenting.

[TheGalleryGoddess]

beautifully executed...

[amongbeyo]

"fearfuly symmetry made the lamb"

[scottzellis]

Enjoyed the reading.

[Juventus170191]

Beautiful. But I have to notice that at the fourth line -in a rhyme scheme AABB- the word simmetry to rhyme with the word eye of the third line, well, it has been pronunciated simme-try (like the verb to try). A little reprimand, or more politely a little jotting, a "memo for the next millenium".

[loveshackartandphoto]

This powerful poem is very special to me. awaken my senses,when I was young and troubled.Thank you.

Pablo

[cupofsugarful]

None of these questions are answered, it's intended for the reader to interpret the meaning and therefore decide. It's a greater thinking that this poem involves, which is why it's so great. :)

[cupofsugarful]

In this, the speaker intends to invoke the question of what god would choose to bare this horrific creature to the naked world? To what purpose would it fulfill? In this way the speaker is intending to allude us to a more generalized question, of what the violence and suffering in the world tells us of the nature/intended purposes of our god.

[cupofsugarful]

Good thoughts to many of you, my interp of this poem however:

The tiger, similar to it's creator in this instance is both striking to behold, as well as fearsome in the deadly power it contains. The speaker alludes the reader to believe this poem is in reference to the devil through the stark imagery of hells torment; It isn't until the speaker begs the question of the lamb that this poem takes a turn.