About “Auguries of Innocence”

Auguries of Innocence was not published until 1863; thirty-six years after Blake died. An augury is a sign, a prediction of something to come. In the ancient world an ‘augur’ was a priest or religious leader who was skilled in ‘reading’ signs. The message of Blake’s poem is that even the smallest parts of life — a grain of sand, a wildflower, etc — can be the key to our existence or reveal the truths of the universe. Cruelty to the smallest creature or living thing may have huge consequences, diminishing our humanity and ultimately destroying us, while causing heaven to weep or rage. That is, assuming one has the imagination and capacity to interpret these connections.

Certainly, Blake’s imagination was extraordinarily vivid. There has been speculation by Blake experts that he either took drugs or regularly experienced hallucinations. Certainly, his engravings seem other-worldly.

Structure The poem is written broadly in iambic tetrameter rhyming couplets (AABBCC…), except for the first four lines, which form a quatrain, that is a four-line stanza forming an ABAB rhyme scheme. There are two more consecutive quatrains around the mid-point of the poem, beginning ‘Man was made for Joy and Woe’… This was probably done purposely for emphasis.

Language and Imagery

Blake used metaphorical imagery and symbolism to convey his meaning. One unique feature of this poem is its capitalization. Blake most likely did this to emphasize specific words, but also to suggest that each creature or idea represents more than itself. For example, the ‘Robin Red breast in a Cage’ may symbolise all caged creatures, including imprisoned humans.

Finally, it is interesting to note another famous reference to augury in the English literary canon. In Hamlet the Prince says:

Not a whit, we defy augury. There is special providence in

the fall of a sparrow …

The opposite of Blake’s philosophy here.