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 sieze the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when 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 clasp!
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?
From The Tyger by William Blake (1794). Public domain.
Check your understanding
1. What repeated image does the speaker use to describe the Tyger in the first and last stanzas?
2. What tool-related words are used to describe how the Tyger's brain was made?
3. The speaker uses words like 'fearful,' 'dread,' and 'deadly terrors' to describe the Tyger. How do these words make you feel about the animal, and why do you think the poet chose them?
4. In the poem, the speaker asks, 'Did he who made the Lamb make thee?' What is the speaker wondering about the creator of both animals?
5. The first and last stanzas of the poem are almost exactly the same, except for one word in the last line: 'Could' changes to 'Dare.' Why do you think the poet made this change?