Tyger Tyger, burning bright, by William Blake — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

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 seize 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?

Translation (English)

Tiger, Tiger, glowing brightly, In the dark woods at night; What eternal hand or eye, Could create your scary balance? In what faraway depths or skies Did the fire of your eyes burn? On what wings does he dare to reach? What hand dares to grab the fire? And what shoulder, and what skill, Could twist the muscles of your heart? And when your heart started to beat, What scary hand? And what scary feet? What hammer? What chain, In what oven was your brain? What metal block? What scary grip, Dares to hold its deadly fears! When the stars threw down their spears And watered heaven with their tears: Did he smile to see his work? Did he who made the Lamb make you? Tiger, Tiger, glowing brightly, In the dark woods at night: What eternal hand or eye, Dares to create your scary balance?

About the Poet

William Blake (Romantic)

William Blake (1757–1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, he is now considered a seminal figure in the Romantic Age. His works are known for their expressiveness, creativity, and philosophical depth.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Lyric poem
When Written: 1794
Background: The poem 'The Tyger' is part of William Blake's 'Songs of Experience', exploring themes of creation, divinity, and the duality of existence. It questions the nature of a creator who can make both the gentle Lamb and the fearsome Tyger.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tyger, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43687/the-tyger, https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/william-blake/the-tyger

Detailed Explanation

William Blake's 'The Tyger' is a profound exploration of creation and the duality of existence. The poem questions the nature of the creator who can forge both the gentle Lamb and the fearsome Tyger. Blake uses the Tyger as a symbol of awe-inspiring beauty and terror, reflecting on the complexity and mystery of creation. The repeated questioning of 'What immortal hand or eye' emphasizes the wonder and fear associated with the creation of such a powerful being. The imagery of fire, darkness, and the celestial elements suggests a divine or cosmic origin, while the craftsmanship metaphors (hammer, anvil, furnace) highlight the Tyger's constructed nature. The poem's structure, with its rhythmic and repetitive questioning, mirrors the relentless curiosity and contemplation of the speaker. Ultimately, Blake challenges the reader to consider the balance of good and evil, innocence and experience, in the world and in the divine.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
Tyger	Tiger	A large wild cat known for its strength and beauty	Ty-ger
burning	shining	Glowing or emitting light	bur-ning
immortal	eternal	Living forever, not subject to death	im-mor-tal
frame	create	To construct or shape	fraym
fearful	terrifying	Causing fear or dread	fear-ful
symmetry	balance	The quality of being made up of exactly similar parts	sym-me-try
distant	faraway	Far off in space or time	dis-tant
deeps	depths	The deepest parts of something, like the ocean	deepz
aspire	reach	To aim or hope for something	as-pire
sinews	muscles	Tendons or muscles that give strength	sin-yews
dread	fearful	Causing great fear or apprehension	dread
furnace	oven	An enclosed structure for intense heat	fur-nace
anvil	metal block	A heavy iron block used for shaping metal	an-vil
grasp	hold	To seize or hold firmly	grasp
clasp	grip	To hold tightly	clasp
spears	weapons	Long pointed weapons	spears
water‘d	watered	To pour water over something	wa-ter'd
Lamb	young sheep	A symbol of innocence and purity	laam