"The Tyger" by William Blake
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 begin 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?
"White Wolf"
Through the haze of misty night
A white wolf bathed in glowing light,
Of what could make a creature fair
That in his teeth clutches despair?
How come thee covered in snowy fur
Disguised so as a creature pure?
What made thy icy, frightful eyes
That linger on the darkened skies?
Under the cover of the moon
A piercing howl, impending doom
Does thy heart, with every beat
Grow faster than the ones you eat?
How swiftly do thy movements make
It easy for his soul to take,
A flash of fangs, & blood runs cold,
Dare deadly virtue be so bold?
Terror reigns down through thine eyes
Heaven sleep & heaven cry
And of the maker of the Lamb,
Could thee be formed from that same hand?
Through the haze of misty night
A white wolf bathed in glowing light,
Of what dare make a creature fair
That in his teeth clutches despair?
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 begin 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?
"White Wolf"
Through the haze of misty night
A white wolf bathed in glowing light,
Of what could make a creature fair
That in his teeth clutches despair?
How come thee covered in snowy fur
Disguised so as a creature pure?
What made thy icy, frightful eyes
That linger on the darkened skies?
Under the cover of the moon
A piercing howl, impending doom
Does thy heart, with every beat
Grow faster than the ones you eat?
How swiftly do thy movements make
It easy for his soul to take,
A flash of fangs, & blood runs cold,
Dare deadly virtue be so bold?
Terror reigns down through thine eyes
Heaven sleep & heaven cry
And of the maker of the Lamb,
Could thee be formed from that same hand?
Through the haze of misty night
A white wolf bathed in glowing light,
Of what dare make a creature fair
That in his teeth clutches despair?
"The Tyger" is about the romantic paradox of nature and the creation of beautiful destruction. It is the necessary evil that exists in the world depicted through the image of the tyger: an animal of immense power but whose only motive is survival. I wrote about a white wolf, taking the paradox further still because of the purity of his white coat as a disguise for something "evil;" But here evil is understood as something outside of the animal, it is a lurking presence that has no motive, but simply exists in nature.
ReplyDeleteGreat remodel! And I appreciate your magnifying Blake's "Tyger" into the "White Wolf." I think think this aptly amps up Blake's original figure of experience (you say, 'evil') to reveal not only strength and wildness (yet tactical caution), but also a kind of purity so brilliant it must constantly veil itself--i.e. a wolf in sheep's clothing. I liked the consistent use of light imagery of the remodeled poem, that seemed to bounce between clarity and obscurity. You've set an intriguing oscillation of ideas into motion.
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