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Infant Joy. By William Blake. I have no name. I am but two days old.—. What shall I call thee? I happy am. Joy is my name,—. Sweet joy befall thee! Pretty joy!
- Summary
- Themes
- Structure and Form
- Literary Devices
- Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
- Similar Poetry
‘Infant Joy’ by William Blakeis a short poem in which an infant receives its name, and its mother praises and blesses it. In the first stanza of ‘Infant Joy,’ the speaker, who is immediately revealed to be a two-day-old child, chooses the name “Joy” when its mother asks what she should name. The child settled on this option because “joy” is what th...
In ‘Infant Joy,’ Blake taps into themes of innocence and happiness above all else. The speaker is both of these things embodied. They are new to the world and completely without the sorrow that they’ll meet later in life. The child chooses their own name, “Joy,” to solidify how they want to live their life. While this poem is quite simple, it is al...
‘Infant Joy’ by William Blake is a two-stanza poem separated into sets of three lines known as sestets. These sestets follow a rhyme scheme of ABCDAC ABCDDC. The meter in these twelve lines is not consistent throughout, but most of the lines contain between three and six beats. Blake uses something that resembles a question and answer format in ‘In...
Blake makes use of several literary devices in ‘Infant Joy.’ These include but are not limited to repetition, anaphora, enjambment, and alliteration. There are several examples of repetition in this short poem; one of the most prominent is anaphora. It is concerned with the use and reuse of lines that start with the same words. For example, “Sweet ...
Stanza One
In the first stanza of ‘Infant Joy,’ the speaker declares that they are only “two days old” and without a name. The speaker is a newborn, someone who shouldn’t, by all accounts, be able to speak. But, in the world of Blake’s poetry, this is possible. They can convey their emotions. The dash at the end of the second line conveys the end of the child’s words, and the beginning of another’s, presumably the mother’s. She asks the child what she should name them, and they reply, “Joy.” The infant...
Stanza Two
The second stanza is even more direct than the first. In it, the mother celebrates the child’s birth and uses repetition to emphasize her hope that they live a blessed and happy life. The word “joy” is used in four lines in the second stanza. She praises her child, clearly hoping that they live a life of happiness. Readers should take note of the use of repetition in these lines as well as enjambment and anaphora. This is not one of Blake’s more complicated poems, but numerous literary device...
Readers who enjoyed ‘Infant Joy’ should also consider reading some of Blake’s other best-known poems. These include ‘The Lamb,’‘The Tyger,’ and ‘Auguries of Innocence.’ The latter cyclically describes the natural world. The world is reborn and remade throughout nature, symbolizing the innocence of humanity. ‘The Tyger’ is from Songs of Experience, ...
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- October 9, 1995
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Infant Joy at Wikisource. " Infant Joy " is a poem written by the English poet William Blake. It was first published as part of his collection Songs of Innocence in 1789 and is the counterpart to "Infant Sorrow", which was published at a later date in Songs of Experience in 1794.
‘Infant Joy’ is a poem that was first published in William Blake’s 1789 volume Songs of Innocence. Like many of Blake’s poems from the two Songs collections, ‘Infant Joy’ is fairly straightforward and its meaning is reasonably plain – and yet the poem requires a little analysis to tease out its deeper ambiguities and subtleties.
Learn More. "Infant Joy" appears in Songs of Innocence, the first half of English poet William Blake's groundbreaking collection Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794). Giving voice to a two-day-old baby who names themselves "Joy," the poem celebrates the miracle of new life.
Pretty joy! Sweet joy, but two days old. Sweet Joy I call thee: Thou dost smile, I sing the while; Sweet joy befall thee! This poem is in the public domain. William Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757, to James, a hosier, and Catherine Blake. Two of his six siblings died in infancy.
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This poem is the mirror of ‘Infant Sorrow’ in Songs of Experience. It is a simple song that celebrates happiness, focusing on a new born baby. It should be remembered that maternal and infant...
