The Little Girl Found

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 is a part of William Blake’s collection of poems “Songs of Innocence” published in 1794. It is a companion piece to “The Little Girl Lost,” and it is the continuation of the story of Lyca, who was lost and then found by her parents with the help of a lion. Here, fear transforms into trust as the lion leads the parents to their daughter, asleep among tigers. The narrative interlaces themes of love, despair, and the transformative power of the mystical. The journey of Lyca’s parents through a desolate landscape and their encounter with the lion, who turns out to be a protector, symbolizes a transition from grief to hope, from fear to harmony. The poem suggests that even in the most desolate circumstances, there can be a spiritual or divine presence offering guidance and protection.

Text of the poem.

All the night in woe,
Lyca’s parents go:
Over vallies deep.
While the desarts weep.

Tired and woe-begone.
Hoarse with making moan:
Arm in arm seven days.
They trac’d the desert ways.

Seven nights they sleep.
Among shadows deep:
And dream they see their child
Starvdd in desart wild.

Pale thro’ pathless ways
The fancied image strays.
Famish’d, weeping, weak
With hollow piteous shriek

Rising from unrest,
The trembling woman prest,
With feet of weary woe;
She could no further go.

In his arms he bore.
Her arm’d with sorrow sore:
Till before their way
A couching lion lay.

Turning back was vain,
Soon his heavy mane.
Bore them to the ground;
Then he stalk’d around.

Smelling to his prey,
But their fears allay,
When he licks their hands:
And silent by them stands.

They look upon his eyes
Fill’d with deep surprise:
And wondering behold.
A spirit arm’d in gold.

On his head a crown
On his shoulders down,
Flow’d his golden hair.
Gone was all their care.

Follow me he said,
Weep not for the maid;
In my palace deep.
Lyca lies asleep.

Then they followed,
Where the vision led;
And saw their sleeping child,
Among tygers wild.

To this day they dwell
In a lonely dell
Nor fear the wolvish howl,
Nor the lion’s growl.

The poem opens with Lyca’s parents in great distress as they search for her throughout the night. They travel through valleys and deserts, which seem to mourn along with them, personifying nature to reflect the parent’s sorrow.

Lyca’s parents are exhausted and heartbroken. Their voices are hoarse from crying out in grief. they have been searching for seven days, wandering through the desolate desert landscape, clinging to each other for support.

During their seven-night search, they rest among dark shadows and dream distressing dreams of finding their child starving and alone in the wilderness, revealing their deep anxiety and fear for Lyca’s well-being.

The image of Lyca in their dreams appears pale and lost, wandering aimlessly through unmarked paths. She is imagined as being famished, weak, and crying out pitifully, heightening the parents’ sense of despair.

Lyca’s mother, overcome with grief and fatigue, can no longer continue the search. She is trembling from exhaustion and emotional strain, symbolizing the depth of her suffering and helplessness.

Lyca’s father carries her mother, who is burdened by sorrow. As they continue, they encounter a crouching lion in their path. The lion’s presence introduces an element of the mystical and signifies a turning point in the narrative.

Realizing that retreat is futile, they face the lion. The lion’s mane seems to overpower them, bringing them to the ground. The lion then circles around them, suggesting both a threat and a protective presence.

The lion smells them, initially appearing voracious. However, their fears are eased when the lion licks their hand and stands silently by them, indicating a protective or benign intention.

The parents look into the lion’s eyes and are surprised by what they see. They perceive a spirit armed in gold, suggesting the lion is not just a beast but has a deeper, perhaps divine significance.

The lion’s appearance is majestic, with a crown and flowing golden hair, signifying royalty or divinity. This majestic vision dispels all their worries, indicating a turn toward hope and resolution.

The lion, now a speaking and authoritative figure, tells the parents not to weep for Lyca. He reveals that she is safe and asleep in his palace, offering them comfort and assurance.

The parents following the lion find Lyca sleeping peacefully among wild tigers, indicating she is under the protection of these powerful animals, further suggesting a mystical or divine intervention.

From that day onward, Lyca and her parents live peacefully in a secluded valley. They no longer fear the wild animals around them, indicating a harmonious coexistence and perhaps an acceptance of the natural world.