William blake flashcards

Question 1

The Child

Answer 1

“When my mother died I was very young, / And my father sold me while yet my tongue / Could scarcely cry ‘Weep! weep! weep! weep!’ / So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.”
“Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?”

Question 2

The Nurse

Answer 2

“Nurse, the child is in the midst of the laughter and the sorrow, / Of innocence and experience, yet to feel the rage of fear.”

Question 3

The Shepherd

Answer 3

“Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?”
“I will turn your tender hearts from the fleeting lies of men.”
“Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?”

Question 4

The Lamb

Answer 4

“Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee? / Gave thee life & bid thee feed, / By the stream & o’er the mead; / Gave thee clothing of delight, / Softest clothing, woolly, bright; / Gave thee such a tender voice, / Making all the vales rejoice! / Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?”

Question 5

The Tiger

Answer 5

“Tiger Tiger, burning bright, / In the forests of the night: / What immortal hand or eye, / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”
“Did he who made the Lamb make thee?”

Question 6

The Chimney Sweeper

Answer 6

“When my mother died I was very young, / And my father sold me while yet my tongue / Could scarcely cry ‘Weep! weep! weep! weep!’ / So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.”
“Because I was happy upon the mountain’s side, / I thought to take the joy of life in stride.”
A little black thing among the snow, / Crying ‘weep! weep!’ in the morning glow.”
“So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.”

Question 7

The piper

Answer 7

“Piper, pipe that song again; / So I piped: he wept to hear.”
“Come hither, come hither, my friend / And the piper is playing the end.”
“I played my pipe for them, / For the soft wind blew, they too sang / Until they fell in sweet slumber.”

Question 8

The Bard

Answer 8

“Rings of power may fall, and glory may depart, / But the Bard will be singing, a life in the heart.”
“The voice of the Bard will still call / To those who listen with heart.”
“He who has a voice in all, / Can change the world with every call.”
“The Bard’s tongue was like a flaming sword.”

Question 9

Parents

Answer 9

“So your children are before you / They are a reflection of the world you create.”
“Parents taught the children that love is the way, / And through that, the world would have peace each day.”
“Their children are as blessed as they.

Question 10

Angels

Answer 10

“And the Angel told him: ‘I see you are wise, / But you cannot escape your plight in these skies.’”
“And there came a spirit, whose wings were bright / Whose voice was gentle like the morning light.”
“And the angel smiled as they went on their way, / For in the night, all is calm.”

Question 11

The Holy Child

Answer 11

“In the morning, when the light was bright, / There stood the Holy Child, clothed in white.”
“The Lamb of God, the child divine, / Was born of heaven’s purest line.”
“The Holy Child, the Christ divine, / In His hand is peace and light.”
“He wept not for Himself, but for the world of men.”

Question 12

Introduction

Answer 12

“Piping down the valleys wild, / Piping songs of pleasant glee, / On a cloud, I saw a child, / And he laughing said to me:
“Pipe a song about a Lamb! / So I piped with merry cheer. / ‘Piper, pipe that song again;’ / So I piped: he wept to hear.”
“Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe, / Sing thy songs of happy cheer!”
Thus I sang the same again, / While the weeping child did cry, / Weep! weep! weep! weep! / So I sang the song again.”

Question 13

“The Shepherd”

Answer 13

“Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?”
“He calls himself a Lamb: / He is meek & he is mild, / He became a little child.”
“I will turn your tender hearts / From the fleeting lies of men.”
“The lamb is in the fold, and the shepherd’s voice is heard.”

Question 14

The lamb

Answer 14

“Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?”
“Gave thee life, and bid thee feed / By the stream and o’er the mead; / Gave thee clothing of delight, / Softest clothing, woolly, bright.”
He is called by thy name, / For he calls himself a Lamb: / He is meek, and he is mild, / He became a little child.”
“Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?”

Question 15

The Little Black Boy

Answer 15

“My mother bore me in the southern wild, / And I am black, but O! my soul is white.”
“I’ll shade him from the heat till he can bear / To sport and play, and see his father’s face.”
“And then I’ll stand and stroke his silver hair, / And be like him, and he will love me.”
“And we are put on earth a little space, / That we may learn to bear the beams of love.”

Question 16

The Chimney Sweeper

Answer 16

“When my mother died I was very young, / And my father sold me while yet my tongue / Could scarcely cry ‘Weep! weep! weep! weep!’ / So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.”
“’Hush, my dear, lie still and sleep, / It cannot be that thou art here; / For when I sleep, and in my bed, / The chimney sweeper’s dreams appear.”
“And by came an Angel who had a bright key, / And he opened the coffins and set them all free; / Then down a green plain leaping, laughing, they run, / And wash in a river and shine in the sun.”
“So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.”

Question 17

The Little Boy Lost

Answer 17

“Father, father, where are you going? / O do not walk so fast!”
“My father, father, where are you going? / O do not walk so fast!”
“For I am very weak and poor, / And I am faint with hunger sore.”
“The night was dark, no father was there, / The child was lost in the desert.”

Question 18

The Little Boy Found

Answer 18

“The little boy lost in the lonely fen, / Led by the wandering light, / Began to cry, but God ever nigh, / Appeared like his father in white.”
“He kissed the child and by him leant, / And o’er his shoulder did he rest.”
“My father, father, where are you going? / O do not walk so fast!”
“So he was found by his father’s side, / And gave him rest in the night.”

Question 19

A Cradle Song

Answer 19

“Sweet dreams, form a shade / O’er my lovely infant’s head! / Sweet dreams of pleasant streams / By happy, silent moones.”
“O’er his innocent eyes / Smiles of angel-children rise.”
“Soft desires I am whispering in the ear / Of my babe’s cradle, singing clear.”
“Sleep, sleep, happy child! / All the pretty birds are asleep.”

Question 20

The Divine Image

Answer 20

“To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love, / All pray in their distress, / And to these virtues of delight / Return their thankfulness.”
“For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love, / Is God, our Father dear, / And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love, / Is man, his child and care.”
“For Mercy has a human heart, / Pity, a human face, / And Love, the human form divine, / And Peace, the human dress.”
“And all must love the human form, / In heathen, Turk, or Jew; / Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell, / There God is dwelling too.”

Question 21

Holy Thursday

Answer 21

“‘Twas on a Holy Thursday, their innocent faces clean, / Came children walking two and two, in red and blue and green.”
“Now like a mighty wind they raise to heaven the voice of song, / Or like harmonious thunderings the seats of heaven among.”
“And their sun does never shine, / And their fields are bleak and bare, / And their ways are filled with thorns: / It is eternal winter there.”
“For where’er the sun does shine, / And where’er the rain does fall, / Babe can never hunger there, / Nor poverty the mind appall.”

Question 22

Spring

Answer 22

“Sound the flute! / Now it’s mute. / Bird’s delight, / Day and night; / Nightingale, / In the dale, / Lark in sky, / Merrily, merrily, / Mornings nigh.”
“The skylark sings with the evening moon, / And the bird’s melodious tune.”
“Little lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?”
“Piping songs of pleasant glee / On a cloud, I saw a child, / And he laughing said to me: / ‘Pipe a song about a Lamb!’”

Question 23

Nurse’s Song

Answer 23

“When the voices of children are heard on the green, / And laughing is heard on the hill, / My heart is at rest within my breast, / And everything else is still.”
“Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down, / And the dews of night arise; / Your spring-time is over, and the flowers are dying.”
“The little ones leaped, and shouted, and laughed, / And all the hills echo’d.”
“Come, let us play at see-saw, and / Play at see-saw all night long.”

Question 24

A Dream

Answer 24

“I dreamt a dream! What can it mean? / And that I was a maiden queen.”
“I dreamt I had a golden cage, / And I was the bird in it.”
“And I laid my head on my pillow and wept, / And I knew that I had the key.”
“And I went out and saw the sky / And I could not help but weep.”

Question 25

On Another’s Sorrow

Answer 25

“Can I see another’s woe, / And not be in sorrow too?”
“O my friends, I feel the pains / Of the poor, the weak, the sad, / And those who are in the streets, / Their tears and their voices so glad.
“And I feel that I am too weak to bear / The weight of grief and pain / And the hearts of sorrow and despair / I cannot withstand alone.”
“And the tears of all that weep / I can feel, though they are distant.”

Question 26

Earth’s Answer

Answer 26

“Earth raised up her head, / From the vale of Har, where the poor / Slaves of this life are thrown.”
“I hear the voice of the child, / I hear the cry of the woman, / I hear the cries of the poor and weak, / And the king will hear them.”
“I can see the stars of heaven, / The sun so bright, and the sky so clear, / But my heart is still weary and weak.”
“I hear the voice of the child, / I hear the cry of the woman, / I hear the cries of the poor and weak, / And the king will hear them.”

Question 27

The Little Girl Lost

Answer 27

“In the Desert of the Night / How many children have lost their way!”
“She wandered in the howling wilderness, / And as she went, she was left alone.”
“She saw the beams of heaven, / And she heard the music of the stars.”
“And she reached a golden grove, / And she sat on a bed of flowers.”

Question 28

The Little Girl Found

Answer 28

“All alone, the wandering child / Weeping, weeping, in the wild.”
— (This opening line echoes the girl’s loneliness and distress, emphasizing her vulnerability as she is lost in the wild, highlighting her innocence and isolation.)

“The father of the child / Came to her, and kissed her face.”
— (The arrival of the father represents divine intervention or protection, offering comfort and solace to the lost child, suggesting the theme of redemption and care.)

“He took her by the hand, and led / To the golden grove, / And in the groves of Eden’s trees / She lay and slept till morning.”
— (The child is found and led to safety, symbolized by the golden grove. This transformation represents the return to innocence and spiritual peace, invoking the imagery of paradise.)

“And there the angels saw her sleep, / And they took her into their care.”
— (The divine beings’ protection highlights the girl’s transition from suffering to safety, symbolizing spiritual salvation and divine protection.)

Question 29

The fly

Answer 29

“Little fly, / Thy summers play / My thoughtless hand / Has brushed away.”
— (The speaker reflects on the fleeting nature of life, both for the fly and for humans, with the “thoughtless hand” symbolizing how easily life can be dismissed or destroyed.)

“Am not I / A fly like thee? / Or art not thou / A man like me?”
— (The speaker questions the difference between himself and the fly, emphasizing the shared fragility of all life forms and the commonality between humans and creatures in nature.)

“For I dance, / And drink, and sing; / Till some blind hand / Shall brush my wing.”
— (This line speaks to the unpredictability of life and death, with the fly enjoying the same pleasures as humans, only to face an inevitable, untimely end.)

“Thou art a man, / And I am a fly, / But let us pass / Our lives in harmony.”
— (The speaker suggests that despite their differences, humans and flies share a common existence and should live in harmony, reinforcing the themes of unity and equality.)

Question 30

The angel

Answer 30

“I dreamt a dream! What can it mean? / And that I was a maiden queen.”
— (The speaker reflects on a dream where they are a “maiden queen,” representing innocence and purity, suggesting a longing for past ideals or freedoms.)

“And an angel came down in the night, / Bringing me my golden crown.”
— (The angel’s descent symbolizes divine guidance or comfort, with the golden crown representing honor or spiritual reward.)

“And I wept both night and day, / And he wiped my tears away.”
— (This emphasizes the angel’s role as a protector and consoler, reinforcing the theme of divine intervention and care.)

“And I rose up in the night, / And we went forth together.”
— (This line shows the speaker finding strength or resolution through their connection with the angel, symbolizing transformation or the start of a spiritual journey.)

Question 31

The Tyger

Answer 31

“Tyger Tyger, burning bright, / In the forests of the night;”
— (This iconic opening line symbolizes the tiger’s fierce and awe-inspiring nature, with “burning bright” suggesting both its physical power and its intense, possibly destructive energy.)

“What immortal hand or eye, / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”
— (The speaker marvels at the tiger’s creation, questioning what divine or supernatural force could design something so fearsome yet beautiful.)

“Did he smile his work to see? / Did he who made the Lamb make thee?”
— (This rhetorical question contrasts the tiger’s ferocity with the innocence of the lamb, raising profound questions about the nature of the Creator and the coexistence of good and evil.)

“What the hammer? what the chain, / In what furnace was thy brain?”
— (This imagery likens the creation of the tiger to a process of forging in a blacksmith’s workshop, emphasizing the intense, almost violent act of creation.)

“When the stars threw down their spears, / And water’d heaven with their tears:”
— (This metaphor suggests a cosmic struggle or lamentation, possibly referencing the Fall or the awe-inspiring consequences of the tiger’s creation.)

Question 32

My Pretty Rose

Answer 32

“A flower was offered to me, / Such a flower as May never bore;”
— (The speaker reflects on a rare and beautiful opportunity, suggesting a moment of temptation or desire.)

“But I said, ‘I’ve a pretty rose-tree,’ / And I passed the sweet flower o’er.”
— (The speaker rejects the offered flower, choosing instead to remain loyal to their rose-tree, symbolizing commitment or responsibility.)

“Then I went to my pretty rose-tree, / To tend her by day and by night.”
— (The speaker’s dedication to the rose-tree reflects their sense of duty and care, highlighting themes of fidelity and love.)

“But my rose turned away with jealousy, / And her thorns were my only delight.”
— (This line introduces conflict, as the rose-tree’s jealousy and thorns symbolize pain and possessiveness, suggesting that loyalty and love can sometimes lead to suffering.)

Question 33

Tree

Answer 33

“I was angry with my friend: / I told my wrath, my wrath did end.”
— (This line introduces the theme of resolving anger through communication, contrasting it with the consequences of repressed emotions.)

“I was angry with my foe: / I told it not, my wrath did grow.”
— (By withholding anger, the speaker allows their negative feelings to fester and intensify, symbolizing the dangers of suppressed emotions.)

“And it grew both day and night, / Till it bore an apple bright;”
— (The metaphor of the tree and the poisonous fruit represents how unchecked anger can grow into something destructive, reminiscent of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.)

“And my foe beheld it shine, / And he knew that it was mine.”
— (The bright apple attracts the foe, highlighting how anger and malice can be tempting and lead to ruin.)

“And into my garden stole / When the night had veiled the pole:”
— (The foe’s sneaky approach under cover of darkness suggests deceit and vulnerability to the destructive consequences of suppressed wrath.)

“In the morning glad I see / My foe outstretched beneath the tree.”
— (The culmination of the poem reveals the deadly outcome of the speaker’s bottled anger, illustrating the moral that unchecked wrath harms both the victim and the aggressor.)

Question 34

The Little Vagabond

Answer 34

“Dear Mother, dear Mother, the Church is cold, / But the Ale-house is healthy, and pleasant, and warm;”
— (The speaker contrasts the unwelcoming atmosphere of the church with the warmth and hospitality of the alehouse, critiquing institutional religion’s failure to provide comfort.)

“If at the Church they would give us some ale, / And a pleasant fire, our souls to regale;”
— (The child imagines a more welcoming and joyful version of the church, blending physical and spiritual needs to critique the rigidness of religious practices.)

“And God, like a father rejoicing to see / His children as pleasant and happy as he.”
— (The speaker envisions a benevolent God who would delight in the happiness of humanity, contrasting with the austere and punitive image often associated with institutional religion.)

“And would not have bandy children, nor fasting, nor birch, / And God, like a father rejoicing to see / His children as pleasant and happy as he.”
— (The speaker rejects harsh discipline and asceticism, advocating instead for a joyful, nurturing relationship between God and humanity.)

Question 35

London

Answer 35

“I wander thro’ each charter’d street, / Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.”
— (The repetition of “charter’d” highlights the oppression and restriction pervasive in the city, suggesting even the natural river is under human control.)

“And mark in every face I meet / Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”
— (Blake emphasizes the universal suffering in London, as the “marks” on people’s faces reflect the emotional and physical toll of societal oppression.)

“In every cry of every Man, / In every Infant’s cry of fear, / In every voice: in every ban, / The mind-forg’d manacles I hear.”
— (This highlights the pervasive psychological and societal oppression, with “mind-forg’d manacles” symbolizing the internalized constraints imposed by authority and tradition.)

“How the Chimney-sweeper’s cry / Every black’ning Church appalls;”
— (The plight of the chimney-sweepers critiques the Church’s complicity in social injustice, with “black’ning” suggesting both moral corruption and industrial soot.)

“And the hapless Soldier’s sigh / Runs in blood down Palace walls.”
— (This line critiques the ruling class, suggesting that soldiers’ suffering and deaths are directly caused by the decisions of those in power, symbolized by the “Palace.”)

“But most thro’ midnight streets I hear / How the youthful Harlot’s curse / Blasts the new-born Infant’s tear, / And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.”
— (This chilling conclusion links themes of poverty, disease, and societal decay, with the “Marriage hearse” symbolizing the death of love and innocence in a corrupted society.)

Question 36

The Human Abstract

Answer 36

“Pity would be no more, / If we did not make somebody Poor;”
— (This line critiques how virtues like pity rely on the existence of suffering, suggesting that societal structures perpetuate inequality to justify moral virtues.)

“And Mercy no more could be, / If all were as happy as we;”
— (Blake questions the necessity of virtues like mercy, implying they arise from systemic suffering rather than innate goodness.)

“And mutual fear brings peace, / Till the selfish loves increase.”
— (This paradox suggests that peace, built on fear and self-interest, is fragile and ultimately gives rise to conflict and inequality.)

“A tree grew, an apple bright, / And in the Humble Shed its light.”
— (The “tree” symbolizes the growth of hypocrisy, deceit, and systemic oppression, echoing the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden as a symbol of human fallibility.)

“The Gods of the earth and sea / Sought thro’ Nature to find this Tree.”
— (This line indicates that the forces of nature and power perpetuate this metaphorical tree, emphasizing the universality of human flaws.)

“And it bears the fruit of Deceit, / Ruddy and sweet to eat.”
— (The fruit symbolizes the deceptive allure of corruption and false virtue, connecting to the broader themes of moral hypocrisy.)

Question 37

A Poison Tree

Answer 37

“I was angry with my friend: / I told my wrath, my wrath did end.”
— (This opening line introduces the resolution of anger through communication, setting up a contrast with the unresolved wrath toward a foe.)

“I was angry with my foe: / I told it not, my wrath did grow.”
— (Repressing anger allows it to grow and fester, highlighting the destructive consequences of suppressed emotions.)

“And I water’d it in fears, / Night and morning with my tears;”
— (This metaphor of nurturing anger like a tree suggests how negative emotions are fed by fear and sorrow, leading to growth.)

“And it grew both day and night, / Till it bore an apple bright;”
— (The tree produces a poisonous apple, symbolizing the culmination of unchecked anger and deceit, reminiscent of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.)

“And into my garden stole / When the night had veil’d the pole:”
— (The foe’s sneaky approach under cover of darkness symbolizes vulnerability to the consequences of the speaker’s anger.)

“In the morning glad I see / My foe outstretch’d beneath the tree.”
— (The speaker’s wrath has led to the foe’s death, demonstrating the destructive power of unchecked anger—not only for the victim but also for the moral fabric of the aggressor.)

Question 38

A Little Boy Lost

Answer 38

Hear the voice of the unhappy boy! / I am lost in the fields of night.”
— (The boy’s voice expresses confusion and fear, symbolizing the vulnerability of innocence in the face of darkness and uncertainty.)

“The night was dark, and the wind was wild, / And the boy was lost.”
— (The natural imagery of the dark night and wild wind emphasizes the boy’s sense of isolation and danger, representing a spiritual or moral disorientation.)

“The priest sat by, and heard the boy / Weep, and weep, and cry.”
— (The priest’s passive presence critiques religious institutions’ failure to respond to the suffering of the innocent, highlighting themes of neglect and spiritual abandonment.)

“For in that hour of helplessness, / A child’s tears fell down to Heaven.”
— (This line implies a divine recognition of the boy’s suffering, with his tears symbolizing purity and the potential for divine intervention or justice.)

Question 38

The School Boy

Answer 38

“I love to rise in a summer morn, / When the birds sing on every tree;”
— (The speaker expresses the joy and freedom of childhood in nature, symbolizing innocence and the natural inclination for happiness.)

“But to go to school in a summer morn, / O! it drives all joy away.”
— (This line contrasts the freedom of nature with the oppressive experience of attending school, representing the stifling effect of education and authority on a child’s natural joy.)

“Under a cruel eye outworn, / The little ones spend their youth.”
— (Blake critiques the educational system, portraying it as oppressive and demoralizing, symbolized by the “cruel eye” of authority.)

“The mind-forg’d manacles I hear.”
— (This phrase, used in “London” as well, suggests the psychological chains placed on children by society’s institutions, like school, which stifle creativity and freedom.)