Nurse's Song (Experience): Themes & Linking Poems

Nurse’s Song (Experience): Themes & Linking Poems

“Nurse’s Song (Experience): Key Quotes”

• “And whisp’ rings are in the dale”: The secretive aspect of the whisperings can be symbolic of the hidden, darker undertones in the Song of Experience, as opposed to the openness in the Song of Innocence.
• “And the gates of this Chapel were shut”: The closed gates of the chapel might be seen as the loss of innocence and joy, and the introduction to the restrictions of adulthood and the Church.

“Nurse’s Song (Experience): Poet & Context”

• William Blake (1757-1827): An English poet, painter, and printmaker who was largely unrecognized during his lifetime but is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.
• Historical context: The industrial revolution was a time of great change and displacement. Blake criticised the effects of industrialisation and organised religion on society.
• Dual Collection: ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’ exemplify Blake’s contrasting views on nature, society, and life; with the ‘innocence’ poems typically more upbeat and the ‘experience’ ones having a darker tone.