CREATING THE SONGS

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Songs of Innocence

Plate 16

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Island in the Moon was written in 1784 when his brother Robert was alive and living with William and Catherine in the building which also served as the print shop of Blake and James Parker. The setting for these anecdotes are gatherings at the homes of participants. At first glance Blake's cynical and ironic account of the social interaction of caricatures of his friends and associates seems to bear little relationship to his later work. One exception to the light-hearted humorous nature of this sixteen page manuscript is the inclusion of drafts of three poems which Blake later incorporated in Songs of Innocence. In his book William Blake: The Creation of the Songs, Michael Phillips states  that, "Here, perhaps, is the inception of the Songs and clearly a harbinger of what is to follow."

Northrop Frey indicates that the context in which these "'delicate and fragile"' poems appear suggests that "parallel songs of experience was already in Blake's mind, and was in origin an idea connected with satire."

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Island in the Moon, (E 462)
 
           " Chap 11

  Another merry meeting at the house of Steelyard the Lawgiver
  After Supper Steelyard & Obtuse Angle. had pumpd Inflammable
Gass quite dry. they playd at forfeits & tryd every method to get
good song then he sung humour. said Miss Gittipin pray
Mr Obtuse Angle sing us a song   then he sung

     Upon a holy thursday their innocent faces clean
     The children walking two & two in grey & blue & green
     Grey headed beadles walkd before with wands as white as snow
     Till into the high dome of Pauls they like thames waters flow

     O what a multitude they seemd, these flowers of London town 
     Seated in companies they sit with radiance all their own
     The hum of multitudes were there but multitudes of lambs
     Thousands of little girls & boys raising their innocent hands

     Then like a mighty wind they raise to heavn the voice of song  
     Or like harmonious thunderings the seats of heavn among     
     Beneath them sit the revrend men the guardians of the poor
     Then cherish pity lest you drive an angel from your door

  After this they all sat silent for a quarter of an hour [&
Mrs Sigtagatist] <& Mrs Nannicantipot> said it puts me
in Mind of my [grand] mothers song

     When the tongues of children are heard on the green 
     And laughing is heard on the hill                 
     My heart is at rest within my breast
     And every thing else is still

     Then come home my children the sun is gone down     
     And the dews of night arise
     Come Come leave off play & let us away
     Till the morning appears in the skies

     No No let us play for it is yet day
     And we cannot go to sleep      
     Besides in the Sky the little birds fly      
     And the meadows are coverd with Sheep    

     Well Well go & play till the light fades away
     And then go home to bed
     The little ones leaped & shouted & laughd                    
     And all the hills ecchoed

Then [Miss Gittipin] [Tilly Lally sung]
[Quid] sung <Quid>

     O father father where are you going
     O do not walk so fast
     O speak father speak to your little boy
     Or else I shall be lost

     The night it was dark & no father was there                 
     And the child was wet with dew
     The mire was deep & the child did weep
     And away the vapour flew

  Here nobody could sing any longer, till Tilly Lally pluckd up a
spirit & he sung.

O I say you Joe
Throw us the ball
Ive a good mind to go
And leave you all"

Michael Phillips goes on to follow the development of Songs of Innocence and of Experience through the first drafts of the poems and the first sketches of the images to the final printing and coloring of the books. In William Blake: The Creation of the Songs From Manuscript to Illuminated Printing we follow in detail the meticulous process Blake followed in producing his works of Art:

"With the Songs, uniquely, we are in a position to be able to appreciate nearly every stage of their creation from writing to reproduction. In particular we have seen how difficult, often uncertain and demanding each stage in the creative process has been, from drafting the text, composing text and design on the copper plate, printing the plates in monochrome, hand colouring, and colour printing. That we are unable to trace this progress in the making of other illuminated books, should not lead us to believe that their creation came about more easily." (Page 113) 

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