William Blake (1751- 1827)

William Blake was born in London. At age ten, Blake expressed a wish to become a painter, so his parents sent him to drawing school. Two years later, Blake began writing poetry. In 1782, he married Catherine Boucher. Blake taught her to read and to write. He wrote Songs of Innocence (1789): a poetry collection written from the child’s point of view. He died in August 12, 1827.

The Tiger
By William Blake

1
Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
2
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

3
And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and what dread feet?
4
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

5
When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did He smile His work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?
6
Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Vocabulary :

Burning : glowing brightly
Immortal : eternal دائم – خالد
Frame: (to) form يشكل - ينسق
Fearful: causing fear مخيف
Symmetry: beauty based on excellence of proportionتناسق – تناظر
Distant : far , remote بعيد
Thine : your لك- خاصتك
Dare : venture يجرؤ
Aspire: hope يطمح
Seize : take hold of استولى على – اغتنم
Art : skill مهارة – فن – ابداع
Twist : bend يثنى
Sinews : الاوتار
Thy : your لك
Dread : arousing great fear مفزع - مخيف
Hammer : an instrument for driving nails
Chain : a series of metal rings passing through one another. سلسله
Furnace : an enclosed place in which metal is shaped.فرن
Anvil : the block on which metal is shaped by hammering. سندان الحداد
Grasp : seize امسك – قبض بيديه على
Deadly : causing death مميت
Clasp : seize with the hand امسك – قبض على
Spears : sharp , pointed instrument رماح
Lamb : a young sheep حمل


Paraphrase :

The Tiger" is one of the most beautiful descriptive animal poems that was ever written. The poet describes the tiger as a powerful and almost immortal creature. He compares the creator of this wild beast وحش with the creator of the innocent lamb. The poet describes the tiger as a living, breathing fire that walks brightly through the forest. He is amazed at how God could have tamed fire and turned it into this magnificent creature.

"The Tiger," is a lyric poem focusing on the nature of God and his creations.
The poet addresses the tiger which shines with its shining fur and glowing eyes in the forest during the night. He asks “ Who created you with such a beautiful body?”. Was it created in hell (distant deeps) or in heaven (skies)?

What deep power created this blazing fire in your eyes ? who can dream of catching such a fast animal? What strength (shoulder) and craftsmanship (art) could make the tiger's heart?
Who dares to come near to such a fierce animal?

Then the poet says that when the stars shine with their shining rays , when heaven waters earth with rain , god must be pleased to see his wonderful creation. Then the poet asks if who created the lamb did create the tiger .


Commentary:
The poem consists of six quatrains. (A quatrain is a four-line stanza.). The rhyme scheme is aa – bb – cc - dd .

The poet, William Blake, uses a lot of rhyme in this poem. The rhyming scheme is very well structured. The rhyming helps the poem sound good and it allows the reader to enjoy the poem even more. This poem has an extremely enjoyable and beautiful rhythm. When people enjoy reading a poem, they understand it better and they think of the poem exactly like the poet planned.
The poet gives a beautiful description of the tiger. He describes how it looks at night and then he wonders how god created such a beauty.
Then, the poet describes the strength and courage of the tiger when it feels danger. And he wonders how who created the tiger did create the lamb.

The poem is simple. The meter is regular and rhythmic
Figures of Speech
Alliteration: Tiger, tiger, burning bright (line 1); frame thy fearful symmetry? (Line 4)
Metaphor: Comparison of the tiger and his eyes to fire.

There are a lot of metaphors in this poem. "Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright," the poet is comparing the tiger to a glorious burning flame. "What hand dare seize the fire?" the poet tells us...