Infant Joy

poem by Blake

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July 17, 2026

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"Infant Joy" is a poem by William Blake, featured in his collection Songs of Innocence. This collection, published in 1789, showcases Blake's unique "illuminated printing" technique, combining text and hand-colored illustrations. The poems in Songs of Innocence are characterized by their rhythmic subtlety and delicate beauty, often transforming simple rhymes into profound lyrics. "Infant Joy" itself is noted for its simplicity, with only three words containing more than two syllables, reflecting the innocent and vulnerable state of babies. This poem, along with others in the collection, represents a state of protected innocence.12

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William Blake
Blake as a poet
…are written for children—in “Infant Joy” only three words have as many as two syllables—and they represent the innocent and the vulnerable, from babies to beetles, protected and fostered by powers beyond their own. In “The Chimney Sweeper,” for example,
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…are written for children—in “Infant Joy” only three words have as many as two syllables—and they represent the innocent and the vulnerable, from babies to beetles, protected and fostered by powers beyond their own. In “The Chimney Sweeper,” for example,
Read More