“Infant Joy” Introduction

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“Infant Joy” Summary

“Infant Joy” Themes

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  The Joy and Innocence of New Life

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Infant Joy”

• Lines 1-3

  I have no name
  I am but two days old.—
  What shall I call thee?

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 4-6

  I happy am
  Joy is my name,—
  Sweet joy befall thee!

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 7-9

  Pretty joy!
  Sweet joy but two days old,
  Sweet joy I call thee;

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 10-12

  Thou dost smile.
  I sing the while
  Sweet joy befall thee.

  

  

  

  

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“Infant Joy” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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• End-Stopped Line

  

  

  

  

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• Pun

  

  

  

  

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“Infant Joy” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Thee, Thou
• Befall thee
• Dost

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Infant Joy”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Infant Joy” Speaker

“Infant Joy” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Infant Joy”

More “Infant Joy” Resources

• External Resources

  • Blake's Biography — Learn more about Blake's life and work at the website of the British Library.  

  • Songs of Innocence and of Experience — Visit the Blake Archive to see this poem as Blake originally published it in a beautiful illuminated manuscript. 

  • The Poem Aloud — Listen to a reading of both "Infant Sorrow" and "Infant Joy."  

  • Blake's Visions — Watch an excerpt from a documentary in which writer Iain Sinclair discusses Blake's religious visions. 

  • A Blake Documentary — Listen to Blake scholars discussing the poet's life and work. 

• LitCharts on Other Poems by William Blake

  • A Dream

  • Ah! Sun-flower

  • A Poison Tree

  • Earth's Answer

  • Holy Thursday (Songs of Experience)

  • Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence)

  • Infant Sorrow

  • Introduction (Songs of Innocence)

  • London

  • Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)

  • Nurse's Song (Songs of Innocence)

  • The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience)

  • The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence)

  • The Clod and the Pebble

  • The Divine Image

  • The Ecchoing Green

  • The Fly

  • The Garden of Love

  • The Human Abstract

  • The Lamb

  • The Little Black Boy

  • The Little Vagabond

  • The School Boy

  • The Sick Rose

  • The Tyger

  • To Autumn

  • To the Evening Star