Infant Sorrow - William Blake
/Infant Sorrow - William Blake/
A Stark Glimpse of the World’s Burden at Birth
Original (Line 1): My mother groaned! my father wept:
English (Line 1): My mother groaned! my father wept:
Original (Line 2): Into the dangerous world I leapt:
English (Line 2): Into the dangerous world I leapt:
Original (Line 3): Helpless, naked, piping loud;
English (Line 3): Helpless, naked, crying loudly;
Original (Line 4): Like a fiend hid in a cloud.
English (Line 4): Like a fiend hidden within a cloud.
Original (Line 5): Struggling in my father’s hands,
English (Line 5): Struggling in my father’s hands,
Original (Line 6): Striving against my swaddling bands,
English (Line 6): Fighting against my swaddling clothes,
Original (Line 7): Bound and weary I thought best
English (Line 7): Tired and bound, I believed it best
Original (Line 8): To sulk upon my mother’s breast.
English (Line 8): To sulk upon my mother’s breast.
From William Blake’s Infant Sorrow (1794), part of Songs of Experience. This poem is in the public domain.
“Infant Sorrow” is Blake’s counterpoint to “Infant Joy,” both appearing in his collection *Songs of Innocence and of Experience*. Where “Infant Joy” radiates warmth and hope at the miracle of new life, “Infant Sorrow” is far more ambivalent about birth. The poem portrays a newborn’s entry into a “dangerous world,” met with parental groans and tears rather than unbridled celebration.
From the first lines, the poem emphasizes vulnerability: the infant is “helpless, naked,” yet already contending with the constraints of swaddling and the emotional weight of a family seemingly burdened by this arrival. By likening the newborn’s cries to those of a “fiend hid in a cloud,” Blake presents a stark image of a soul thrust into a realm where care and concern mingle with dread.
This unease underscores how context shapes every birth. In an era of social and economic strain, the poem hints that not all children are ushered in with purely joyful welcomes. Thus, “Infant Sorrow” explores the complex blend of emotional, physical, and social forces greeting a new life—a poignant reflection on how innocence can be shadowed by the realities of experience from the very beginning.
Key points
1. The poem contrasts sharply with “Infant Joy,” highlighting life’s darker concerns.
2. Birth is shown as fraught with conflict rather than pure celebration.
3. The infant’s helplessness symbolizes the vulnerabilities all humans face.
4. Blake underscores that circumstances and societal pressures can taint innocence at its outset.
