Infant Sorrow by william blake Poem in Urdu and Hindi, Infant Sorrow Line by Line

 “INFANT SORROW”

William Blake 1757-1827

William Blake Introduction

Infant Sorrow Publication, Meter, Rhyme

Infant Sorrow Themes and setting

Infant Sorrow Summary

Infant Sorrow line by line Analysis

Infant Sorrow Notes PDF

Lecture by Uffaq Zahra www.bseln.com for free notes PDF

William Blake was an English poet, painter, and visionary thinker of the Romantic Age.

He was largely unrecognized during his lifetime but is now considered one of the

greatest poets and artists in English literature. His works combine poetry, visual art, and

philosophy, often dealing with themes of innocence, experience, imagination,

spirituality, and social criticism.

Born: 28 November 1757 in London, England.

Died:12 August 1827 in London.

The poem “Infant Sorrow” is part of his collection Songs of Experience shows Blake’s

vision of how life, under social restrictions and suffering, begins not with joy but with

tears and confinement.

Iambic tetrameter

The poem consists of two stanzas of four lines each.

Blake uses AABB rhyme scheme.

The setting is the moment of birth a child entering the world. Symbolically, the setting

is the fallen, corrupted world of Experience, where life begins with struggle rather

than innocence and joy.

Lecture by Uffaq Zahra www.bseln.com for free notes PDF

Background

“Infant Sorrow” was written by

William Blake in Songs of Experience

(1794) as a contrast to “Infant Joy.”

While Infant Joy shows the happiness

of new life, Infant Sorrow reflects the

harsh reality of a world shaped by

industrialization, poverty, and rigid

institutions.

It shows Blake’s belief that life, in the

state of Experience, begins with

struggle, suffering, and restriction

rather than innocence and joy.

Lecture by Uffaq Zahra www.bseln.com for free notes PDF

Themes

1. Suffering at Birth: Life begins with pain, tears, and struggle, showing the

fallen world’s harshness.

2. Loss of Innocence: Contrast with Infant Joy; innocence is replaced by fear and

sorrow.

3. Human Struggle: The newborn is restless, resisting swaddling clothes (a symbol

of restriction), representing humanity’s natural desire for freedom.

4. Parental Bond: Parents are described as both joyful and anxious, reflecting the

tension between love and the burden of responsibility.

5. Experience vs. Innocence: The poem highlights Blake’s central theme: the

world of Experience is darker, full of conflict, unlike the pure, optimistic

vision in Innocence.

6. Restriction and Control: Swaddling clothes symbolize society’s attempts to

control and suppress individual freedom from the very start of life.

Lecture by Uffaq Zahra www.bseln.com for free notes PDF

Text of the Poem Line By Line Explanation

Stanza 1

“My mother groaned, my father wept.”

Into the dangerous world I leapt;”

“Helpless, naked, piping loud;”

“Like a fiend hid in a cloud.”

Stanza 1

The baby’s arrival causes the mother pain and the

father sorrow.

Birth is shown as a moment of suffering, not pure joy.

It sets a dark tone.“

The child is born into a world full of danger and

struggle.

Life begins not with innocence but with fear,

symbolizing the fallen world of Experience.

The infant is weak, unclothed, and crying loudly.

This shows human vulnerability at birth and how life

starts with dependence and distress.

The crying baby is compared to a devilish spirit

hidden in mist.

Blake suggests how society may view a newborn’s

cries as troubling or even evil, hinting at the sinful

nature imposed by religion.

Lecture by Uffaq Zahra www.bseln.com for free notes PDF

Text of the Poem Line By Line Explanation

Stanza 2

“Struggling in my father’s hands,”

“Striving against my swaddling

bands”

“Bound and weary, I thought best”

“To sulk upon my mother’s breast.”

Stanza 2

The baby resists being held or controlled.

Symbolizes the human instinct to fight against

restriction from the very start.

The infant struggles against the tight cloth wrapping.

Swaddling bands symbolize society’s constraints and

rules that limit freedom.

Feeling tired and tied up, the child gives up

struggling.

Shows how quickly human freedom is suppressed by

exhaustion and control

The baby finally surrenders and lies unhappily on the

mother.

Represents resignation—life begins with defeat,

dependence, and sorrow

Lecture by Uffaq Zahra www.bseln.com for free notes PDF

Summary of the poem

The poem presents birth not as joy but as suffering and struggle.

The infant enters a “dangerous world” helpless, naked, and crying,

symbolizing life’s vulnerability.

The baby resists being held and struggles against swaddling clothes, which

represent society’s restrictions.

Finally, weary and bound, the child gives up and lies unhappily on the

mother’s breast.

In short, the poem shows Blake’s Songs of Experience vision that human life

begins with pain, conflict, and confinement, unlike the innocence and joy

seen in “Infant Joy.”