WILLIAM BLAKE
William Blake Reading “The Tyger”
William Blake’s “The Tyger” is one of the most iconic poems in English literature, a fiery meditation on creation, divinity, and the nature of good and evil. Imagining Blake himself reading the poem aloud invites us to consider how his voice—both literal and poetic—might have shaped its reception. Blake was not just a poet but also an engraver, painter, and mystic, and his recitation would have carried the weight of his artistic and spiritual vision.
The Voice of the Poet
Blake’s voice, by historical accounts, was passionate and intense. Fellow artist and diarist Henry Crabb Robinson described him as speaking with “a certain solemnity of manner” and a “fiery glow of enthusiasm.” If Blake were to read “The Tyger,” his tone would likely be both reverent and fierce, embodying the poem’s awe before the sublime and terrifying power of creation.
The opening lines—
“Tyger Tyger, burning bright, / In the forests of the night”—
would resonate with rhythmic precision, Blake emphasizing the trochaic meter like an incantation. His voice might drop to a whisper at the questions—
“What immortal hand or eye, / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”—
suggesting both wonder and dread.
The Performance of a Visionary
Blake was known for his radical beliefs and rejection of institutional authority. His reading of “The Tyger” would not be a detached literary exercise but a performance of his mystical convictions. He might pause dramatically before the central stanza:
“And what shoulder, & what art, / Could twist the sinews of thy heart?”
His emphasis on “art” would hint at his own labor as an engraver, drawing a parallel between divine and human creation.
The famous line—
“Did he who made the Lamb make thee?”—
would carry a challenge, perhaps a raised eyebrow or a knowing smile, as Blake juxtaposed the gentle Christ-like Lamb (from his Songs of Innocence) with the ferocious Tyger. His reading would underscore the paradox of a God who creates both beauty and terror.
The Sound of the Engraver’s Craft
Blake’s method of illuminated printing—where text and image merged—suggests that his recitation would also be visually evocative. As he read, he might trace the imagined flames of the Tyger in the air, his voice rising with the imagery of fire and forge:
“What the hammer? what the chain, / In what furnace was thy brain?”
The metallic clang of those words would echo like a blacksmith’s workshop, Blake’s voice hammering each syllable into the listener’s mind.
A Prophetic Tone
Blake saw himself as a prophet, and his reading of “The Tyger” would likely feel like a revelation. The final repetition of the opening stanza—
“Tyger Tyger burning bright…”—
might be delivered more slowly, as if the question of the Tyger’s maker remained unresolved, lingering in the air like smoke.
Conclusion
Hearing William Blake recite “The Tyger” would be an electrifying experience—part poetry, part sermon, part artistic manifesto. His voice would bring to life the poem’s burning questions, its rhythmic power, and its unresolved tension between beauty and terror. More than just a recitation, it would be an act of visionary artistry, leaving listeners as awestruck as the poem itself.