The Divine Image: Plot

Narrative Summary

“The Divine Image” features in William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence” as a lyrical poem encapsulating Blake’s spiritual doctrine.
The narrator highlights four Virtues - Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love. They are not only valued in humans but also represent God’s essence.
The poem hints towards Prayers as a natural product of these Virtues flowing from humans especially in times when they are suffering.

“Mercy” is introduced as a highly regarded Virtue, blessed by humans and embodied by God.
“Pity” is celebrated as God’s gift to humanity and a human quality that is universally admired.
“Peace” is depicted as a divine element that shelters the weak and helpless under its wings, implying its protective power.
“Love” is personified and explained as the divine essence that binds all beings in unity, and also as the element that is present in every human being, making us all images of God.

Suffering and distress are painted as gateways to these Virtues as it is during suffering the Virtues flow like prayers from the hearts of those who show them.
According to the narrator, these prayers are expressions of the divine side of human nature - Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love.
The poem suggests a reciprocal relationship between divine virtues and prayers, as the divine virtues invoke prayers during suffering, and these prayers in return invigorate the virtues in human beings.

By the end of the poem, the narrator proclaims that all these divine Virtues work together to form the Divine Image, which is housed in the human heart.
The poem asserts that humans, in their purest forms, are akin to God – as these virtues are the essence of God, they make humans divine.
It concludes with a call to action - in times of distress and sorrow, one should seek the divine in man by showing these Virtues.