Nurse's Song (Innocence): Key Quotes

Nurse’s Song (Innocence): Key Quotes

Nurse’s Song (Innocence): Poet & Context

• William Blake was not just a poet but also a painter and printmaker, important to note when studying his illuminated poems as he integrated both visual art and written text.
• His work was largely unrecognized during his lifetime, with ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’ only gaining appreciation later as an intrinsic part of the Romantic movement.
• Blake was heavily influenced by his religious upbringing and it’s believed that this poem’s title refers to the biblical figure of the nurse.
• Interestingly, Blake was a strong critic of the church and state, viewing it as oppressive and stifling to individual freedom. This perspective appears frequently in his writing.
• The poem was created during the period of the Industrial Revolution in England, this context heavily influences many of his poems, often showing a nostalgia for a more innocent, rural past.