Songs of Innocence

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Songs of Innocence  (1789)  by William Blake

Introduction→

sister projects: Wikipedia article. Songs of Innocence is a collection of illustrated lyrical poetry. A few first copies were printed and illuminated by William Blake himself in 1789. Its companion volume is Songs of Experience. Blake believed that innocence and experience were "the two contrary states of the human soul", and that true innocence was impossible without experience. Songs of Innocence contains poems either written from the perspective of children or written about them.

Title page of "Songs of Innocence" (Cambridge copy)

1. Introduction
2. The Shepherd
3. The Echoing Green
4. The Lamb
5. The Little Black Boy
6. The Blossom
7. The Chimney Sweeper
8. The Little Boy Lost
9. The Little Boy Found
10. Laughing Song
11. A Cradle Song
12. The Divine Image
13. Holy Thursday
14. Night
15. Spring
16. Nurse's Song
17. Infant Joy
18. A Dream
19. On Another's Sorrow

This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.