Introduction

By William Blake

William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet, painter, and visionary, whose work combines profound spiritual themes with intense, often mystical imagery. Blake’s unique style blends poetry and visual art, making him a pioneer figure in Romantic literature and art. His work, though underappreciated in his lifetime, is now celebrated for its originality and depth.

The poem opens William Blake’s hugely influential and monumental collection “Songs of Innocence” (1789), a book of poems embodying one of what Blake called “the two contrary states of the human soul” (as contrasted with experience, which he would explore in the 1794 omnibus volume “Songs of Innocence and Experience). The poem sets the tone for the entire collection, presenting themes of innocence, simplicity, and the divine inspiration of poetry. In this poem, Blake’s alter ego – a wandering piper explains how he came to write his poems through a conversation with a visionary child who appears on a cloud and delights in his music and demands that he write his songs down so that “every child may joy to hear” them.

Piping down the valleys wild,

Piping songs of peasant glee,

On a cloud I saw a child,

And he, laughing, said to me:

Pipe a song about a lamb!’

So I piped with merry cheer.

‘Piper, pipe that song again;’

So I piped: he wept to hear.

‘Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe;

Sing thy songs of happy cheer!’

So I sang the same again,

While he wept with joy to hear.

‘Piper, sit thee down and write

In a book, that all may read.’

So he vanished from my sight;

And I plucked a hollow reed,

And I made a rural pen,

And i stain’d the water clear,

And I wrote my happy songs

Every child may joy to hear.

First Stanza

In the first stanza the speaker who is a piper, is described as wandering through a natural and untamed landscape, playing joyful tunes on his pipe. The imagery of “valleys wild” evokes a sense of unspoiled nature and freedom. The piper’s music is characterized by “pleasant glee,” indicating its joyful and innocent nature. The encounter with a child on a cloud introduces a mystical element, suggesting a connection between the earthly and the celestial. The child’s laughter and presence on a cloud symbolize purity, innocence, and possibly a divine or angelic figure.

Second Stanza

In the second stanza, the child requests the piper to play a song about a lamb. The lamb is a symbol of innocence and gentleness and it is often associated with Jesus Christ in Christian symbolism. The piper complies and happily plays the song. The child’s reaction is profound; asking for the song to be repeated and starts weeping upon hearing it again. This could be interpreted as an emotional response to the beauty and purity of the song, or it might hint at a deeper, spiritual resonance with the themes of innocence and divine love. It could also be interpreted in the sense that the innocent and pure often suffer in this corrupt and malicious world.

Third Stanza

In this stanza, the child instructs the piper to put down his pipe and instead sing the songs. The transition from playing the pipe to singing suggests a move from simple, instrumental music to the more direct and personal expression of the human voice. The piper obeys and sings, and once again, the child responds with weeping, this time explicitly described as “wept with joy”. This reinforces the idea that the songs are deeply moving and filled with an innocent, joyful essence that resonates profoundly with the child.

Fourth Stanza

In the fourth stanza, the child instructs the piper to write the songs down in a book so that the others can read and share in the joy. This marks the transition from oral to written tradition, suggesting the importance of preserving these innocent songs for posterity. The child then vanishes, signifying the end of the mystical vision. The piper’s act of plucking a hollow reed to use as a pen emphasizes the simplicity and naturalness of his tools, aligning with the themes of nature and innocence.

Fifth Stanza

Here, the piper uses the hollow reed to create a pen and writes his “happy songs” with it. The act of staining “the water clear” suggests the blending of innocence with the act of creation, as clear water symbolizes purity. The piper intends to create something that every child can enjoy, underscoring the themes of universal accessibility and the sharing of innocence and joy through art.

Analysis of the Poem

The poem encapsulates Blake’s vision of poetry as a divine and innocent art form. The interaction between the piper and the mystical child suggests that true inspiration comes from a place of purity and joy. The transition from piping to singing, and finally to writing, mirrors the process of artistic creation, from spontaneous expression to deliberate crafting and preservation. The child, possibly a divine or angelic figure, serves as a guide, directing the piper to share his songs with the world, thereby spreading the message of innocence and joy inherent in the “Songs of Innocence”.

Blake’s use of simple language and pastoral imagery emphasizes the themes of purity and the natural world, aligning with the Romantic idealization of childhood and nature as sources of spiritual insight and artistic inspiration. The poem serves as a fitting prologue to the collection, inviting readers into a world of innocence and wonder.