From Blake’s Songs of Innocence, published in 1794, this was one of the series of poems which present an idealised world, in contrast to the harsh realities of late 18th and early 19th Century life during the time of King George III, known — ironically given the terrible social conditions of the time — as the Romantic Era. Each poem in the “Songs of Innocence” category is matched by a grim portrayal in Songs of Experience. The contrast is Blake’s method of social protest.

This poem is the mirror of ‘Infant Sorrow’ in Songs of Experience. It is a simple song that celebrates happiness, focusing on a new born baby. It should be remembered that maternal and infant mortality were high at the time Blake lived, and a healthy baby that survived birth and infancy was a cause for celebration. Asked, presumably by its mother, what name it wants and the baby names itself ‘Joy’. This reflects Blake’s desire to see human spirit independent and resilient. He believed that social constructs or religious institutions of his day were repressive and destructive to the human spirit.

The scenario is, of course, an imagined ideal. Mothers and babies died in childbirth, and a surviving child might have meant just another mouth to feed and another burden on an anaemic
(from repeated childbirth), exhausted and poverty-stricken mother.

Structure
It comprises two six line stanzas, with short lines of irregular length. The first stanza is matched by similar lines in the second stanza, both following an ABCDDC rhyme scheme. This is an unusual construction for Blake.

Language and Imagery
The poem is characterised by a gentle rocking rhythm and repetitive words, like a lullaby.

Note that “Joy” is captalised in line three stanza two, conveying the idea of a heightened abstract; the spiritual state of being that should be the gift of every child.

The rhyming words are framed by the repetition of ‘thee’ at the end of the fourth and sixth lines. It is the parent who speaks and the baby’s imagined words in response form a dialogue between parent and child.

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