Auguries of Innocence

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1863

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Related Poems

“The Tyger” by William Blake (1793)

One of Blake’s most famous poems, “The Tyger” is a widely-anthologized work that was first published in Songs of Experience (1793). Like “Auguries of Innocence,” “The Tyger” uses animal imagery; however, the latter’s imagery is more symbolic and metaphorical. The Tyger, a beautiful yet fierce animal, unites the paradox of God’s mercy and judgement.

“Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802” by William Wordsworth (1803)

William Wordsworth’s poem was composed roughly around the same time as “Auguries of Innocence,” and shows the differing poetic and philosophical approaches of Wordsworth and Blake. In this poem, Wordsworth uses natural imagery to describe London in its beauty, while Blake uses the elements of nature to point to the ugliness of society.

“The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats (1920)

Writing nearly 120 years after Blake, Modernist poet W. B. Yeats uses apocalyptic imagery and a prophetic figure to announce a revolution in society. Greatly influenced by Blake, Yeats uses the image of a leonine creature to symbolize Christ’s benign and fierce aspects.

Further Literary Resources

“William Blake. Prophet” by Julien Green (1929)

Writing for the Virginia Quarterly Review, American novelist Julien Green examines the mystical and prophetic strands in Blake’s art and poetry. Green scans Blake’s biography to illustrate the link between Blake’s radical political and religious philosophies.

“Animal Rights and ‘Auguries of Innocence’” by David Perkins (1999)

Professor of English and writer David Perkins contextualizes “Auguries of Innocence” within concerns about animal rights in England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Perkins argues that Blake portrays animals in the poem not just as metaphors for innocence, but also as actual creatures being literally abused.

“William Blake: The Romantic Visionary” by Andrew Greg (2017)

In the online portal Art UK, curator and art historian Andrew Greg provides an overview of the illustrations that accompanied Blake’s poems. Greg shows how Blake’s visual art, like much of his poetry, is visionary and ahead of its times.