The Tyger
Encyclopedia
"The Tyger" is a poem by the English poet William Blake
. It was published as part of his collection Songs of Experience in 1794 (see 1794 in poetry
). It is one of Blake's best-known and most analyzed poems. The Cambridge Companion to William Blake (2003) calls it "the most anthologized poem in English."
Most modern anthologies have kept Blake's choice of the archaic spelling "tyger". It was a common spelling of the word at the time but was already "slightly archaic" when he wrote the poem; he spelled it as "tiger" elsewhere, and many of his poetic effects "depended on subtle differences of punctuation and of spelling." Thus, his choice of "tyger" has usually been interpreted as being for effect, perhaps to render an "exotic or alien quality of the beast", or because it's not really about a "tiger" at all, but a metaphor.
"The Tyger" is the sister poem to "The Lamb
" (from "Songs of Innocence"), a reflection of similar ideas from a different perspective, but it focuses more on goodness than evil. The poem also presents a duality between aesthetic beauty and primal ferocity. The speaker wonders whether the hand that created "The Lamb" also created "The Tyger”.
The poem, together with other William Blake poetry, has been set to music by the group Tangerine Dream
, and can be found on their album "Tyger"
from 1987 (re-released 1992).
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
. It was published as part of his collection Songs of Experience in 1794 (see 1794 in poetry
1794 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Robert Treat Paine founds the Federal Orrery, a semiweekly Federalist journal in Boston, Massachusetts...
). It is one of Blake's best-known and most analyzed poems. The Cambridge Companion to William Blake (2003) calls it "the most anthologized poem in English."
Most modern anthologies have kept Blake's choice of the archaic spelling "tyger". It was a common spelling of the word at the time but was already "slightly archaic" when he wrote the poem; he spelled it as "tiger" elsewhere, and many of his poetic effects "depended on subtle differences of punctuation and of spelling." Thus, his choice of "tyger" has usually been interpreted as being for effect, perhaps to render an "exotic or alien quality of the beast", or because it's not really about a "tiger" at all, but a metaphor.
"The Tyger" is the sister poem to "The Lamb
The Lamb
"The Lamb" is a poem by William Blake, published in Songs of Innocence in 1789. Like many of Blake's works, the poem is about Christianity.-Background:...
" (from "Songs of Innocence"), a reflection of similar ideas from a different perspective, but it focuses more on goodness than evil. The poem also presents a duality between aesthetic beauty and primal ferocity. The speaker wonders whether the hand that created "The Lamb" also created "The Tyger”.
The poem, together with other William Blake poetry, has been set to music by the group Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
, and can be found on their album "Tyger"
Tyger (album)
1992 release-Personnel:* Edgar Froese* Christopher Franke* Paul Haslinger* Jocelyn Bernadette Smith – vocals on "Tyger", "London" and "Smile"...
from 1987 (re-released 1992).
External links
- "The Tyger" set to music From the 1990 concept album “Tyger and Other Tales”
- The Taoing of a Sound – Phonetic Drama in William Blake’s The Tyger Detailed stylistic analysis of the poem by linguist Haj Ross