The chimney sweeper. This was later extended to become his most famous work songs of innocence and experience in which the innocence poems are often mirrored by the experience poems to present different views of the human condition. So i said hush tom. As the name suggests the poem is about the little chimney sweepers who live a black life cleaning the soot of the chimneys. The poem the chimney sweeper from songs of innocence is about two children who are forced to work as sweepers in a chimney.
When my mother died i was very young and my father sold me while yet my tongue could scarcely cry weep. The other child namely tom dacre cries when his head is shaved. The chimney sweeper is the title of a poem by william blake published in two parts in songs of innocence in 1789 and songs of experience in 1794. The chimney sweeper consists of six quatrains each following the aabb rhyme scheme with two rhyming couplets per quatrain.
After introducing us to tom he relates a very strange dream that tom had one night it involved chimney sweepers in coffins angels flying and a few other bizarre things. Like many of blakes most celebrated poems the chimney sweeper in both versions uses fairly straightforward language although some words of. By dr oliver tearle. Theres little tom dacre who cried when his head that curled like a lambs back was shaved so i said hush tom.
The sweep meets a new recruit to the chimney sweeping gang named tom dacre who arrives terrified. Songs of innocence was published in 1789 and songs of experience in 1794. Theres little tom dacre who cried when his head that curled like a lambs back was shaved. One of them was sold by his father after the death of his mother.
The poem the chimney sweeper is set against the dark background of child labour that was prominent in england in the late 18th and 19th century. The chimney sweeper is a poem written by william blake. Weep so your chimneys i sweep and in soot i sleep. He tells us a little bit about himself first before giving us the lowdown on another chimney sweeper tom dacre.
The poem is told from the perspective of a young chimney sweep a boy who has been sold into labor by his father. So your chimneys i sweep in soot i sleep. It was published in two parts. The first appeared in songs of innocence in 1789 while a second poem also called the chimney sweeper was included in songs of experience in 1794.
The chimney sweeper songs of innocence summary. Never mind it for when your heads bare. There are two chimney sweeper poems by william blake. The first child tries to console him.
Through this poem the poet sheds light on the pitiable condition of the chimney sweepers who were being exploited by their masters. Never mind it for when your heads bare you know that.