
"The Divine Image" is a poem by the English poet
William Blake
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...
from his book ''
Songs of Innocence'' (plate 18, 1789), not to be confused with "A Divine Image" from ''
Songs of Experience
''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. Originally, Blake illuminated and bound ''Songs of Innocence'' and ''Songs of Experience'' separately. It was only in 1794 that Blake combined the t ...
'' (1794). It is a companion to "
The Human Abstract" from the ''
Songs of Experience
''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. Originally, Blake illuminated and bound ''Songs of Innocence'' and ''Songs of Experience'' separately. It was only in 1794 that Blake combined the t ...
'', one of the three plates by Blake that were most successful (along with "
The Blossom" and "
Infant Joy").
Analysis
Aside from the basic observation that the poem reflects the
biblical
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...
idea of men created by God in his own image (cf.
Genesis 1
Genesis may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
:26–27), multiple interpretations are possible (
E. P. Thompson appears to oppose the complexity: "It is a pity to argue about so transparent a poem").
The poem expresses straightforward
didacticism
Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasises instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is a conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to explain.
...
, similar to the one in
The Lamb, like a child repeating in a "singsong voice" the information they have just learned at the
Sunday school
]
A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes.
Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
without questioning who are the ''All'' mentioned in the second line. This is in a stark contrast with "The Human Abstract" that challenges the broad signifiers. A "less cynical" interpretation by
Stephen C. Behrendt is that the speaker is using the abstractions to connect God, an entirely unknown entity to a familiar one, the Man. Yet another approach is to consider the poem to be a "bridge" into the "Songs of Experience" that deals with the death in the real world.
Stanley Gardner points to the idea of reconciliation through Christian compassion in "The Divine Image" stemming from its "cryptic expression" in "The Blossom".
As in many other Blake's poems, the voices here belong not to the individuals, but to the Blake's idea of "
states
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
" , the representatives of good and evil mixed within each man.
Graphics
The plate, like "The Blossom" and "Infant Joy", includes flowering
flames. Their restrained appearance signify the consolation and faith turning into a triumph. The visual appearance of "The Divine Image" and "The Blossom" is especially close, relating these texts in a unique fashion.
At the bottom of the plate, Christ, dressed in green, offers a helping hand to the naked and suffering mankind. At the top, kneeling children "pray in
..distress", and an angel helps them by leading a woman, also in green gown, towards them.
Theology
The poem is generally considered
Swedenborgian
The New Church (or Swedenborgianism) can refer to any of several historically related Christian denominations that developed under the influence of the theology of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772). The Swedenborgian tradition is considered to ...
, "the signature of the
New Jerusalem Church
The New Church (or Swedenborgianism) can refer to any of several historically related Christian denominations that developed under the influence of the theology of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772). The Swedenborgian tradition is considered to ...
" with its doctrine of
divine humanity ("
Christ is God"). Unlike both
Unitarianism
Unitarianism () is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian sect of Christianity. Unitarian Christians affirm the wikt:unitary, unitary God in Christianity, nature of God as the singular and unique Creator deity, creator of the universe, believe that ...
and
Trinitarianism
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...
, the doctrine declared that God infused His own life into Christ via the "divine influx", so the
Trinity
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
exists, but within one person. Thompson, however, argues that the poem is, actually, anti-Swedenborgian, as the very first verse apparently refute the Swedenborg's statement that "
th Respect to God it is not possible that he can love and be reciprocally loved".
Musical settings
The poem has been set to music several times by different composers:
* In ''Five Songs from William Blake'' (1951) by
Virgil Thomson
* In ''
Ten Blake Songs'' (1957) by
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams ( ; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...
* In ''Jazz Songs of Innocence'' (2012) by
Bob Chilcott
Robert Chilcott (born 9 April 1955) is a British choir, choral composer, conducting, conductor, and singing, singer, based in Oxfordshire, England. He was a member of the King's Singers from 1985 to 1997, singing tenor. He has been a composer ...
References
Sources
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External links
A comparison of extant original copies of "The Divine Image"at the
William Blake Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Divine Image (poem), The
1789 poems
Songs of Innocence and of Experience