This is a great poem, easily one of my favorite of
Blake's works. I was cleaning up my
computer and found an old
paper on this, so in the spirit of
node your homework, here goes.
William Blake, born November 28, 1757 was the first of the great Romantic writers. Although Blake saw himself as a great prophet, he was widely unknown and unpublished throughout his life. Today, Blake is considered to be one of the greatest and most prophetic authors of his time. The majority of his work dealt with the concept of duality in life and nature. He believed that in order to truly experience anything, you must also experience its opposite. The best known duality was presented in The Songs of Innocence and The Songs of Experience, two complimentary works dealing with the differences between the innocence of a child and the experience of an adult. This theme is also presented in one of Blake’s earlier works, The Book of Thel.
The Book of Thel, written in 1789, begins with Thel’s Motto, a 4-line introduction to the themes presented in the play.
Does the Eagle know what is in the pit,
Or wilt thou go ask the Mole?
Can Wisdom be put in a silver rod,
Or Love in a golden bowl?
As with many of Blake’s other works,
animals are used to symbolize contradictions in life. The
eagle is a wise, soaring bird. It has excellent eyesight, and has seen far more of the world than the lowly
mole. Yet perhaps it is the mole, nearly blind and confined to live in the pit, that has experienced more of it. Is it the eagle, with its
knowledge gained from seeing into the pit, or the mole, with its knowledge gained through experience, that truly knows the pit? Next he asks if
wisdom can be put in a silver rod, or love in a golden bowl. Wisdom is usually thought to be gained through experience, while love is an innocent
joy. Blake asks if these should be put into a bowl, or a rod, both physical, earthly objects. Should love and
wisdom be trapped by the physical, or left alone to experience on a different level?
As the poem begins, the reader is immediately introduced to the picture of innocence. Thel is pictured as a young and pale, wandering away from her “flock.” The use of the word flock is of particular interest. In many of his other works, Blake uses the lamb as a symbol of innocence and gentleness. This further emphasizes that Thel is a symbol of innocence. However, Blake quickly introduces the struggle of maintaining innocence for young Thel. Thel is seeking the secret air, “To fade away like morning beauty from her mortal day.” Here the morning beauty symbolizes the simplicity of youth, and Thel is seeking to pass by the morning of her day, into adulthood and experience.
On her journey, Thel first encounters a water lily. She asks, “Why fade these children of the spring, born but to smile & fall?” Why, Thel asks, must she grow older and die? She seems to be dissatisfied with her youthful innocence, seeking to gain the experience of adulthood. At this point, Blake has painted an image of Thel in a beautiful place, with flowing rivers and sunshine, where she hears the gentle voice of him that walks through the garden. Although he makes no direct reference, perhaps Blake is making a religious reference to Eve in the Garden of Eden eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge. The lily answers Thel, saying that even it, a lowly weed full of worldly experience, is still visited and protected by the same God that watches over Thel. But Thel is not satisfied. The lily feeds the milking cow, and tames the fire-breathing steed, but Thel is “like a faint cloud kindled at the rising sun.” Thel is seeking to know the world as the lily does, not sheltered by the cloud as she is now.
Still seeking answers to her questions, Thel next talks to the cloud, asking it why it does not fear fading away at night. Here it is interesting to note Blake’s choice of characters. A cloud can be many things, a soft friendly image in the sky, or a dark and ominous destructive force of nature. It has seen experience much more than Thel. Here again, Thel is seeking comfort against the fear of mortal life. She is worried of fading like the cloud, in other words, of death. Once again Thel is reassured. The cloud speaks of how after it fades, it lives on in eternal bliss. But Thel is worried that she does not share the same fate as the cloud. Unlike it, she has not experienced the world. She is afraid that when she dies, she will be left to feed the worms.
Still seeking comfort, Thel next questions the worm about the meaning of her existence. As she talks to the worm, the clod of clay hears the worm’s voice, and comes over to care for it. The worm is portrayed as a helpless creature, dependent on the care of another. The clod as portrayed as a mother figure to the worm. Again, this is an interesting choice of characters since the earth, of which the clod is composed of, is often depicted as a mother to all life. Thel sees this, and realizes that God to loves the lowly creatures of the earth, and that He must love her as well. The clod (mother earth) invites Thel to enter its house, to experience without fear.
Thel accepts, and suddenly the tone of the poem changes. Until now, the poem was full of wonder, curiosity, and the inquisitiveness of a child. But suddenly Thel has crossed the threshold into the world of experience, and she is terrified. She sees the horror of death, depravity, and the terrible things that happen to man. She comes upon her own grave, full of sorrow and despair. She asks:
Why cannot the Ear be closed to its own destruction?
Or the glist’ning Eye to the poison of a smile?
Why are Eyelids stor’d with arrows ready drawn,
Where a thousand fighting men in ambush lie?
Or an Eye of gifts & graces sho’ring fruits & coined gold?
Why a Tongue impress’d with honey from every wind?
Why an Ear, a whirlpool fierce to draw creations in?
Why a Nostril wide inhaling terror, trembling, & affright?
Why a tender curb upon the youthful burning boy?
Why a little curtain of flesh on the bed of our desire?
Suddenly Thel is
overwhelmed by the sensations of experience. She asks question, wondering why it has to be. She is truly afraid for the first time in her life. She asks questions, but no one is there to
answer. This is another interesting difference Blake points out between innocence and experience. Just like in
The Lamb from Songs of Innocence, the innocent child has many questions, and someone is always there to answer them. Just like a child, who has many questions, and always expects an answer. However, once the child has matured into adulthood, suddenly there are no answers to the questions. Thel, finding no answers to her questions,
flees back to the comfortable existence she has known so far.
The Book of Thel is consistent with Blake’s other early works. He presents the simple and innocent life of a child. However, most of Blake’s early works, such as The Songs of Innocence portrayed innocence as a suitable existence. Here, however, he seems to be saying that Thel is weak, and should have chosen to continue into experience. This is more consistent with his later works, hinting at the idea that contraries lead to true knowledge. Possibly the ending could have been added later in his career, when he himself had gained more experience.
Regardless, Blake has presented a brilliant look at the roles of innocence and experience in life. Through imagery and symbolism, he has expressed concepts that that are of timeless value to everyone. Innocence, while simple and safe, can leave you wondering and lonely, just like Thel. Experience, while frightening and mortal, is an essential part of accepting our roles in life. Together, innocence and experience comprise our existence, the reality that we all must face in life.