The Tyger by William Blake: A Poetry Analysis

poem:
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?


analysis:
The Tyger by William Blake is an song poem, written in 1794, and included in the book Songs of Experience. It was on our recommended reading list, so I had to read it, but what really led me to read it was the alternate spelling of "tiger". I was expecting an older-sounding poem. And that's exactly what The Tyger is.


The use of the word "tyger" interested me, as archaic spellings are either indicative of the time period, or used for some sort of emphasis. Considering the time period in which it was written, I believe that the former is true. This poem consists of 6 stanzas, and alternates between trochaic and iambic tetrameter. The denotation of the poem is obvious. The speaker is expressing his admiration, and later his curiosity towards some sort of animal. But I believe in a different meaning for this  piece. The speaker could be referring to man itself. "Did he smile his work to see?" and "Did he who made the Lamb make thee?" must surely refer to God, despite the lack of capitalization on the word He. The last  two lines "What immortal hand or eye dare frame thy fearful symmetry" could imply that our existence is unholy, and that no divine spirit would be willing to create an animal as destructive as man. Is he implying that we are all the spawn of Satan?


This poem, despite its mature themes and connotations reminds me of nursery rhymes from my childhood, like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. The utter fascination with a natural being, the rhyme structure, the change between trochaic and iambic tetrameter and the repetition of the first stanza at the end with a slight modification are all shared characteristics between the two pieces. However, The Tyger came first, as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was penned in 1804. I find it interesting that such a mature piece could have inspired one of the most rudimentary songs ever made.