![]() The telling piece in the poem is that the angel is by no means a brute, but a concerned protector, yet the maiden seems to resent his presence anyway. ![]() Here, a maiden is being guarded over by a benign angel, similar to how the sheep were watched over by the shepherd, except unlike the sheep the maiden is filled with anguish rather than bliss. In contrast to “The Shepherd,” Blake’s poem in Songs of Experience titled “ The Angel,” approaches the same theme from a different standpoint. Though the poem diverts the reader’s attention from sensing anything menacing with the strategic usage of gentle words like sweet, praise, innocent, tender, and peace, the dire message here can be read as indeed one of solace for both the sheep and shepherd, but also of a particularly menacing variant, reminiscent of captive victims who have learned to identify with their captors (Stockholm Syndrome). The sheep, for their part, blissfully bask in innocent ignorance, enjoying the peace of mind grated to them through the shepherd’s protection. He asserts guard over his sheep from “morn to evening,” “following his sheep all the day,” and, “his tongue shall be filled with praise.” The Shepherd’s benefit from this relationship appears to be a self-aggrandizing one, basking in the sheep’s dependence on him. But, as is with much of Blake’s writing, there is also a sense of a sinister totalitarianism being exercised by the benign shepherd. The obvious message is the absolute sense of tranquility that is found by the herd from having a benign celestial father alertly protecting them. “The Secret Teachings of All Ages” by Manly P.In his poem “ The Shepherd,” from Songs of Innocence, William Blake describes the scene of innocent sheep being diligently watched over by a sweet shepherd.Thoughts on “Cat’s Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut.Hall: Part 9 – The Universe in a Grain of Sand “The Secret Teachings of All Ages” by Manly P.Thoughts on “The Illustrated Man” by Ray Bradbury.Thoughts on “Woolgathering” by Patti Smith.Thoughts on “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” by Shunryu Suzuki.Thoughts on “Tristram Shandy” by Laurence Sterne.Ice Symbolism in Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner".Sexual Symbolism in “The Blossom” by William Blake.Thoughts on “The Two Trees” by William Butler Yeats.Literary References in “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan”.“The Rose of the World” by William Butler Yeats.“The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” by Edgar Allan Poe.“To an Isle in the Water” by William Butler Yeats.“Who Goes With Fergus” by William Butler Yeats."To the Poet Coleridge" by Mary Robinson.Unholy Trinity: The Number Three in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”.Do you think that I am searching too deeply for hidden meaning or do you think my questions are valid? Let me know your interpretations. I’m very interested in hearing your thoughts on this poem. The only explanation I can come up with is that the Shepherd recognizes that there is beauty, divinity, and holiness in the flock and seeks to nurture and protect that divinity, and to sing the praises of God’s manifestation in humanity. If that is the case, why would Christ follow and praise the flock? It seems that it would be the opposite, that the flock would follow and praise Christ the Shepherd. The biggest puzzle for me though is that at the end of the first stanza, where it is said that the Shepherd’s “tongue shall be filled with praise.” This seems to contrast the entire second stanza, which to me seems to imply that the Shepherd is Christ watching over his flock. I cannot figure out why Blake chose “strays” instead of “stays.” The shepherd is not straying he is staying with the flock. Then the following line ends with another alliterative: “strays.” Again, something is not sitting right with me about this. ![]() He was subtly hinting at something, but I am not making the connection. It could be that Blake was just going for an alliterative effect, but that doesn’t seem right. The first thing that struck me was the repetition of the word “sweet” in the first line. ![]() This poem seems very simple, yet something about it puzzles me, and the more I think about it, the more puzzled I become. I was in the mood to read some William Blake today, so I picked up my copy of Songs of Innocence and of Experience and read the first poem which I had not yet covered in my blog, which was “The Shepherd.” It is very short, so I am including it here in the post.Īnd his tongue shall be filled with praise.įor they know when their Shepherd is nigh.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |