The Garden of Love

Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake (1789-1794)

This is the complete collection of Blake’s two sets of poems, Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, the latter of which contains “The Garden of Love.” The two volumes depict firstly the state of innocence in childhood and then its lamentable, inevitable loss in adulthood, a product of knowledge of the world and society.

“The Lamb” by William Blake (1789)

This poem from Songs of Innocence contains the metaphor of the innocent lamb, creation of God, to depict the child born free and in the image of God. This is one of Blake’s most well-loved poems and represents his view of the purity of children when they are born into the world.

“The Tyger” by William Blake (1794)

This is the contrasting or sister poem to “The Lamb,” found in Songs of Experience. The tiger, or tiger, is a metaphor for the negative and destructive power of God and, as well, makes a commentary on the demeaning effects of mechanization as a result of the Industrial Revolution.