Who wrote the poem 'The Tyger'?

William Blake wrote the poem “The Tyger.” It was published in 1794 in Songs of Experience, later combined with Songs of Innocence under the title Songs of Innocence and of Experience.

The poem addresses a tiger as a mysterious, almost supernatural creation and repeatedly asks what kind of “immortal hand or eye” could make such a frighteningly beautiful creature. Its famous imagery of fire, furnaces, hammers, and chains gives creation the force of a blacksmith’s work.

“The Tyger” is often read alongside Blake’s “The Lamb,” which appears in Songs of Innocence. The two poems present contrasting forms of creation: innocence and gentleness in “The Lamb,” and power, danger, and experience in “The Tyger.” Blake does not provide a simple theological answer; the poem’s questions deliberately remain unsettling.

A common mix-up is the spelling “The Tiger.” Blake’s original title uses the archaic spelling “The Tyger,” although both forms may appear in discussion. The poem has six quatrains and is among the most widely anthologised works of English Romantic-era poetry.