What Are the Salient Features of Blake’s Poetry - 843 Words

What are the salient features of Blake’s poetry? Of all the romantic poets of the eighteenth century, William Blake (1757-1827) is the most independent and the most original. In his earliest work, written when he was scarcely more than a child, he seems to go back to the Elizabethan song writers for his models; but for the greater part of his life he was the poet of inspiration alone, following no man’s lead, and obeying no voice but that which he heard in his own mystic soul. Though the most extraordinary literary genius of his age, he had practically no influence upon it. Indeed, we hardly yet understand this poet of pure fancy, this mystic this transcendental madman, who remained to the end of his busy life and incomprehensible†¦show more content†¦Look long and you will see that every jewel has its place, and the casket within and without is itself an image of something yet more beautiful and emits rays of light brighter than the sun at noon tide. The imagery we come across in Blake’s works is the product of his vision. At their best, these visions are illuminating and often they turn to be cloudy too. He found symbol as the best media to deliver his complex visions and his exploring mind was readily supplied with a host of symbols. He chose it from nature, universe, constellations and the world of God or the spiritual world. Thus he dressed god, goddesses, angels and flowers for his own poetic purpose and associated his ideals with them. The essence of Blake’s vision is normally pastoral with a Christian emphasis. In Poetical Sketches even ships are sheep and stars are angels. The imagery of pastoralism includes animals; but animals are wild as well as mild and the idyllic scenes of innocence suggest the latter. In other words, the vision darkens from idyllic reverie to observation of natural fact in course of his development of thought. The purity and felicity (à ¦ ªÃ  ¦ °Ã  ¦ ® à ¦ ¸Ã  § Ã  ¦â€"/ à ¦ ¸Ã  § Ã  ¦ ¨Ã  ¦ ¿Ã  ¦ °Ã  § Ã  ¦ ¬Ã  ¦ ¾Ã  ¦Å¡Ã  ¦ ¿Ã  ¦ ¤ à ¦ ¶Ã  ¦ ¬Ã  § Ã  ¦ ¦Ã  ¦ ¾Ã  ¦ ¬Ã  ¦ ²Ã  §â‚¬) of his pastoral narration is effectively brought out in his Song of