The Tyger
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Written sometime between 1790 and 1792, Blake's The Tyger is one of the most famous of English poems much loved by children and adults alike. The poem asks questions about what sort of creator would come up with something as fearful as a tiger. This lesson will teach you the poem, some background details about the poet, the vocabulary in the poem, and the IPA symbols used to represent the pronunciation of the poem. There is much debate today about the pronunciation of the words eye and symmetry and whether in Blake's time they rhymed or not.
William Blake was a British poet and artist who is best known for his work on the themes of nature, spirituality, and the human experience. His poem "The Tyger" is a powerful and evocative work that explores the mysteries of creation and the nature of divine power. "The Tyger" was first published in 1794 as part of Blake's collection of poems, "Songs of Experience." The poem explores the mystery and beauty of the natural world, using the image of a tiger as a symbol of the raw power and energy of creation. Blake's language is rich with metaphor and imagery, as he describes the tiger's "fearful symmetry" and its "burning bright" eyes. The poem's central question, "Did he who made the Lamb make thee?", is a meditation on the nature of divine power and the paradoxes of creation. The poem suggests that the same power that created the gentle, innocent lamb also created the fierce and majestic tiger, and it asks us to consider the nature of this power and its place in the world. "The Tyger" is also notable for its use of poetic form and language. The poem's repetitive structure and powerful imagery have made it a beloved classic of English literature, and its message of mystery, beauty, and divine power continues to inspire and challenge readers to this day. In conclusion, William Blake's "The Tyger" is a powerful and evocative work of poetry that explores the mysteries of creation and the nature of divine power. Its message of beauty, wonder, and paradox has made it a beloved classic of English literature, and its enduring popularity and influence on other works of literature and art are a testament to Blake's skill as a poet and his ability to capture the complexities and contradictions of the human experience. Today, "The Tyger" remains a testament to the power of poetry to inspire and uplift readers, and it continues to be widely read and admired by people around the world.
Listen to this audio to help you with the questions.
Read this text to help you with the questions.
The Tyger
by William Blake (1757-1827)
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
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?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!
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?
Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
/ ðə ˈtaɪ.ɡə /
/ baɪ ˈwɪ.lɪəm bleɪk /
/ ˈtaɪ.ɡə ˈtaɪ.ɡə / ˈbɜːn.ɪŋ braɪt /
/ ɪn ðə ˈfɒ.rɪsts əv ðə naɪt /
/ ˈwɒt ɪ.ˈmɔːt.l̩ hænd ɔːr aɪ /
/ kəd freɪm ðaɪ ˈfɪə.fəl ˈsɪ.mə.tri /
/ ɪn wɒt ˈdɪ.stənt diːps ɔː skaɪz /
/ bɜːnt ðə faɪər əv ðaɪn aɪz /
/ ɒn wɒt wɪŋz deə hi ə.ˈspaɪə /
/ wɒt ðə hænd / deə siːz ðə ˈfaɪə /
/ ənd wɒt ˈʃəʊl.də / ənd wɒt ɑːt /
/ kəd twɪst ðə sɪ.njuːz əv ðaɪ hɑːt /
/ ənd wen ðaɪ hɑːt bɪ.ˈɡæn tə biːt /
/ wɒt dred hænd / ənd wɒt dred fiːt /
/ wɒt ðə ˈhæ.mə / wɒt ðə tʃeɪn /
/ ɪn wɒt ˈfɜː.nɪs wəz ðaɪ breɪn /
/ wɒt ði ˈæn.vɪl / wɒt dred ɡræsp /
/ deər ɪts ˈded.li ˈte.rəz klæsp /
/ wen ðə stɑːz θruː daʊn ðeə spɪəz /
/ ənd ˈwɔː.təd ˈhev.n̩ wɪð ðeə tɪəz /
/ dɪd hi smaɪl ɪz wɜːk tə siː /
/ dɪd hi huː meɪd ðə læm meɪk ðiː /
/ ˈtaɪ.ɡə ˈtaɪ.ɡə ˈbɜːn.ɪŋ braɪt /
/ ɪn ðə ˈfɒ.rɪsts əv ðə naɪt /
/ wɒt ɪ.ˈmɔːt.l̩ hænd ɔːr aɪ /
/ deə freɪm ˈðaɪ ˈfɪə.fəl ˈsɪ.mə.tri /
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