William Blake’s “The Tyger”: Poem Analysis

William Blake’s “The Tyger” is a very interesting short lyrical poem about nature, the creation of nature, things in nature, and the creator or creators of nature.  The AABB rhyme pattern makes the poem very sing songy, and therefore, easily read by all ages.  There are only seven syllables in each quatrain and there are 6 quatrains.  The poem is easy to read over and over again due to the rhyme and length of the poem.

 What is enjoyable about the poem is that it can be interpreted quite literally and simply and also that it can be studied and pondered more heavily due to the subject and the readability of it.

  The contrast between the lamb and the tiger leaves plenty of room for research and exploration, but at the same time, the poem can be enjoyed simply as it is.  The tiger is a fierce creature, and the words that Blake uses to describe it are fitting, “fearful”, “burning”.

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  Although the first and last quatrains appear to be the same, in the last line of the final quatrain, Blake substituted “dare” for “Could”.

The last two lines of the first quatrain read, “What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” and the last quatrain reads, “What immortal hand or eye Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?”  Since Blake makes an overt reference to Prometheus, the Greek who tried to be a god by stealing fire, “What the hand dare seize the fire?”  There is also a reference to God when “heaven” is flooded with the tears of the stars.

  This is beautiful imagery.  The poem is enjoyable all around and isn’t a terribly difficult one to try to dissect or interpret.