William Blake's Songs of Innocence

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William Blake's Songs of Innocence, “The Shepherd,” “The Echoing Green,” The Little Black Boy,” “The Blossom,” and “Laughing Song.”

William Blake wrote many poems during his lifetime. He had a set of poems called The Songs of Innocence and also a set called The songs of Experience. This paper is focusing on five poems from the Songs of Innocence, which are: “The Shepherd,” “The Echoing Green,” The Little Black Boy,” “The Blossom,” and “Laughing Song.”

“The Shepherd” is a very short two stanza poem in which Blake tells about a shepherd who stays with his flock morning and night praising them. The second stanza consists of the shepherd hearing the lamb’s innocent call and the ewe’s soft reply. The shepherd watches the lambs in peace and they know that he is not.

“The Echoing Green” is longer than “The Shepherd.” It is a three stanza poem with an AABBCC rhyme scheme. It is about a field or park where there are birds flying and bells ringing. There are young people playing sports, while the old people are sitting under a tree talking about what they used to do on the echoing green in their youth. They stay until the little ones are weary and can no longer be merry. Then the sun goes down and the sports have to end. The sisters and brothers sit on their mothers laps and rest. No more sports are seen on the darkening green.

“The Little Black Boy” is a seven stanza poem with an ABABCDCD rhyme scheme. It is about a ...

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