Songs of Innocence and of Experience Glossary

Glossary of Terms

abstract

Thought or idea apart from concrete reality; having to do with non-material realities or truths.

Albion

Albion is the ancient name for Britain. Blake tends to use it ironically, recalling the "glory days" of the Empire and alluding to the reign of King Arthur while drawing attention to the moral and social blights affecting his country.

ale

Alcoholic drink similar to beer, but darker and heavier and with a more bitter taste.

bereaved

Having experienced loss, usually of a loved one, but the loss may also refer to loss of material items or abstract qualities.

dell

A small, wooded valley.

eschatological

Having to do with the "end times" as foretold in Biblical prophecy.

gambol

To skip about in a playful manner.

green

In the context of William Blake's poetry, a "green" is a grassy area forming the common of a village.

hallowed

Set apart for use by God or a religious institution representing God.

harlot

A prostitute.

hearse

A vehicle used to convey the coffin of a deceased person from the place of ceremony to the burial ground. Blake uses it ironically when he describes a "marriage hearse."

hoary

White, as if covered by frost.

innocence

The state of naïveté or lack of religious knowledge that comes before an understanding of sin and evil through experience.

irony

The use of language to convey a meaning opposite to the one ostensibly stated.

manacles

Chains used to bind prisoners.

materialism

Philosophical thought in which only the measurable physical world is held to exist or be of importance.

nature

In Blake's poetry, nature is a living, sentient thing that possesses qualities embodied in the world at creation, and which nature has been slower to lose than human beings have. The natural state of man is one full of joy and free from the restrictions of man-made authorities.

parson

A Protestant minister or pastor.

reason

The capacity of human beings to think, often placed in opposition to imagination or emotion.

symmetry

The balanced and well-proportioned arrangement of the parts of a whole item or creature.