the tyger

William Blake (November 28, 1757 – August 12, 1827) was an English poet, painter and printmaker, or "Author & Printer", as he signed many of his books. He is now widely recognised as a genius of English letters, and one of the foremost (arguably the foremost) visionary artists of the modern age; it is now fashionable in certain circles to criticise his art as simplistic. It is fair to state that Blake's visual art, if only for being so closely wedded to his verse, will outlive such criticism. Source: Wikipedia

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Read the poem below and then do an activity that practises vocabulary from the first two verses, and another that practises vocabulary from the last two verses. When you have finished, do some writing yourself, and read some users' poems.

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The Tyger

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize thy fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And why thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors grasp?

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Your turn

Write a poem or a story about a different type of animal. Send it to LearnEnglish.

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Users' poems

Silent Tear
by Patti Hengel
Dedicated to Dundee, a wild horse from the Nevada desert.

Stand proud wild horse of the desert plain
Do not let them your spirit claim
Stand firm, stand tall, do not give in
Though domination men seek to win

God made you strong and gave you heart
And set you free right from the start
To roam the valleys and the hills
Yet, your freedom men seek to steal

Don't they know or can't they see
This is where you were meant to be
Other beasts of burden cannot compare
Nor your beauty do they share

If we listen we might hear
The thunderous roar, the silent tear
From slaughtered ones of the past
And understand your plight at last

© Copyright 1993

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Animals
by Jim Fleitz

animals are noisy and need to be fed
sometimes they need to be tucked into bed
sometimes their bad and need to be hit on the butt
and need to be taken out to do you know what
cats are annoying they sleep on your bed
and when you’re sound asleep they pounce on your head
dogs are loyal and love you too
and known how to comfort you when you’re feeling blue
animals are fun to have around
thats why I have two cats and a hound.

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In amongst the hedgerows
by Rebelrouser

In amongst the hedgerows along the country lanes,
deep inside the thickets protected from the rains.
Their garden is the wild grass that grows along the side,
that is where the country folk go to when they hide.
Badgers, Foxes, Rabbits, Snakes and all the rest
Hedgehogs, Mice and Dunnocks sit upon their nest.
In among the hedgerows protected from the rains,
Deep inside the thickets along the country lanes.

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