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Two human figures, nude save for branches that act as loincloths, are both positioned horizontally in this images with their faces obstructed from view. The figure on the ground appears to be female, and hovering inches above her is a male figure. Blake scholars theorize that these figures are intended to be Adam and Eve fleeing from the Garden of Eden. They cling to the verdant field beneath them as the sky is streaked with flames. The flames transform into smoke that forms the word “SONGS” at the top of the image. Several orange-colored birds fly throughout the words of the title.
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Plate 46
An old man with a long beard and a dirty blue robe walks through the streets of, presumably, London. He is using a crutch, as well as getting assistance from a small boy. The streets are dim and dirty. A beam of light shines down upon the old man and the boy. In the bottom sector of the plate, a man clothed in green warms his hands by a raging fire. The smoke billows up into the top half of the plate.
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An elderly couple appears to have died recently. They lie side by side in a bed with their arms stretched out flat at their sides. At the foot of the bed, on either side, is a woman in a green dress. Both women appear to be distressed and have their hands in front of them in prayer. The sky is a beautiful mix of blue, yellow, and pink. The words that comprise the title are surrounded by delicate pink flowers, as well as two figures with legs extended in a sort of dance pose. The picture beautifully juxtaposes joy and agony-- surely two key components of ‘experience’.
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This work has a complex publication history. Songs of Innocence was composed in 1789 and Songs of Experience in 1794, after which the two were often combined, sometimes with an additional, unified title page. The order of poems within the combined publication varies considerably, as does the number of poems selected for it (and for later reproductions). Thus not all of the poems in the series are included in all versions. The coloration also varies from copy to copy. The 1955 version by the Trianon Press was made from copy Z. Union College holds two copies of this facsimile, which were donated by Hans Rozendaal and Walter Tower.
