Both poems “Infant sorrow,” and “Infant joy,” is written by William Blake. Infant sorrow deeply astounds on the birth of a child born into a dangerous society. In this poem, it seemed as if the newborn child was confused on why he/she was brought into this harmful world. However, the meaning behind this poem is that when a baby is born, they are entering a world that is unfamiliar to them and is full of dangerous things around them. The child seeks for safety and comfort by the sulking of the mother’s breast. Blakes structural pattern of this poem strongly implies that, childbirth is not always joyful and exciting but it brings pain and sorrow. However, as the child is young, he/she will be protected and nurtured by their parents forever.
The poem Infant Joy astounds on the two day old infant who seemed to have an unadulterated happiness. Even though the child has been only two days old it seemed as if it had already connected itself with its surroundings. This poem shows the imaginary conversation between the mother and the newborn child. Throughout infant joy, their are many words used to describe the newborn child to express thoughts and feelings of both the mother and the father. However, both poems gives different messages in the same form and fashion of a poem. Both poems Infant sorrow and Infant Joy are two companionable poems that share the same context. In conclusion, both poems extracts the truthful meaning on the precious emotions the parents have bringing a newborn child into this dangerous world.
