Ans: “Songs of Innocence” and “Songs of Experience” are one of the greatest collection of poems written by William Blake (1757 – 1827). Blake is a great poet of childhood. He is romantic in the treatment of child life, nature, and human beings. He has depicted a world of innocent children in his famous poems very Vividly. The theme of childhood is treated in the “Songs Of Innocence” and “Songs Of Experience” in a wonderful way.

In the “Songs of Innocence”, Blake expresses the happiness and innocence of a child’s life whereas the poems in the “Songs of Experience” record the wounds and cruelties of the civilized world.

In the Introduction of “Songs of Innocence”, Blake here represents himself as a shepherd playing on his flute. Wandering through the valley singing joyous songs on his pipe, he saw a mystical child on a cloud. The child may represent Jesus Christ who speaks from a cloud. At first, the child bids the poet pipe a song about a lamb which symbolizes innocence and Christ. Then the mystic child bids the poet to stop piping and to sing the song of joy vocally. Finally, the child bids the poet to write down his songs of joy in a book, so that all may read and every child may get joy hearing them. In the words of the poet —

“And I write my happy songs
Every child joy to hear.”

In the “Songs of Innocence”, and the poem “The Lamb”, Blake propounds the idea of innocence in the simplest way. The poet visualizes the divine qualities of the child and the lamb and unifies them with Jesus Christ. Christ is called a lamb because of his meekness and mildness. He was also a child when he first appeared on this earth as the son of God. The harmlessness of the lamb and the purity of the heart of a child are the manifestation of Christ’s innocence. Here, the innocence of a child raises him to the status of an innocent lamb and God. Blake says —

“I a child and thou a lamb
We are called by His name.”

In the “Songs of Experience”, the speaker is a Bard whose note is that of caution and worry. Piper’s point of view is prevailingly happy, he is conscious of the child’s essential divinity and assured of his present protection.

Blake sees that happiness and joy are present abundantly in childhood. To him, childhood is a period of innocence since it is free from social corruption and exploitation. Since they are free to search for joy, social customs, rules, and regulations cannot bind them. They want to play and wander amid nature until they are tired and satisfied. This state of children is portrayed in “Nurse’s Song of Innocence —

“No, no let us play for it is yet day
And we cannot go to sleep.
And the hills are all covered with sheep.”

But Blake was not blind to the sufferings of the children. He has shown that sometimes children become the pathetic victims of the unjust behavior of adults. We come to know about the sufferings of the children from poems such as “The Chimney Sweeper”, “Holy Thursday” etc. “The Chimney Sweeper” of “Songs of Innocence” throws light on the miserable life of young children who are subject to inhuman treatment in society. Tom, one of the chimney sweepers one night dreamed that thousands of chimney sweepers were locked up in black coffins. He also dreamed of an Angel who descends to earth with a bright key and opens the coffins to set them free. When the Angel freed them, the children ran out in the open.

On the other hand, “The Chimney Sweeper” of “Songs of Experience” is deprived of love and affection. His parents are selfish and self-righteous. They compelled their child to become a chimney sweeper in order to earn money on which they want to live happily. They go to church to pray. By praying they try to get the love of God but they forget to show love to their own child.

So, we can say that “Songs of Innocence” is that of joy, gentleness, and purity. But the “Songs of Experience” is of hard realities and cruelties. In both of these collections of poems, Blake has very successfully treated childhood.