In William Blake’s poem “The Tyger,” in what forest is the tiger burning bright?

In William Blake’s poem “The Tyger,” the tiger is burning bright in the “forests of the night.”

The opening question presents the tiger as a creature of dazzling beauty and frightening power. Blake asks what immortal hand or eye could have made such a being, then develops images of furnaces, hammers, chains, and an anvil to suggest a supernatural act of creation.

“The Tyger” was published in 1794 as part of “Songs of Experience,” Blake’s companion to “Songs of Innocence.” The poem’s repeated questions examine how innocence and terror can exist within the same created world. Its regular rhythm and memorable refrain have made it one of Blake’s most widely taught poems.

The phrase is often quoted without its opening adjective, but Blake’s wording is “Tyger Tyger, burning bright, / In the forests of the night.” The unusual spelling “Tyger” is part of the poem’s title and should not be silently changed when discussing the work.