William Blake's 'On Another's Sorrow'

This edition of The Insight Newsletter ventures into the profound theological and philosophical heart of William Blake's Songs of Innocence. Our subject is "On Another's Sorrow," a poem that stands as the ultimate expression of the innocent worldview. More than a simple poem, it is a philosophical argument, a theological manifesto, and a profound exploration of the nature of empathy. This guide will unpack its layered structure, its revolutionary depiction of God, and its foundational role in understanding Blake's concept of Innocence. Prepare to discover how this poem synthesizes the core themes of the entire collection.

The Poem: "On Another's Sorrow" from Songs of Innocence

Can I see another's woe,
And not be in sorrow too?
Can I see another's grief,
And not seek for kind relief?

Can I see a falling tear,
And not feel my sorrow's share?
Can a father see his child
Weep, nor be with sorrow fill'd?

Can a mother sit and hear
An infant groan an infant fear?
No, no! never can it be!
Never, never can it be!

And can he who smiles on all
Hear the wren with sorrows small,
Hear the small bird's grief & care,
Hear the woes that infants bear,

And not sit beside the nest,
Pouring pity in their breast;
And not sit the cradle near,
Weeping tear on infant's tear;

And not sit both night & day,
Wiping all our tears away?
O, no! never can it be!
Never, never can it be!

He doth give his joy to all;
He becomes an infant small;
He becomes a man of woe;
He doth feel the sorrow too.

Think not thou canst sigh a sigh
And thy maker is not by;
Think not thou canst weep a tear
And thy maker is not near.

O! he gives to us his joy
That our grief he may destroy;
Till our grief is fled & gone
He doth sit by us and moan.

Introduction

"On Another's Sorrow" serves as the philosophical capstone of the Songs of Innocence. It moves beyond describing individual instances of innocence to define the very moral and spiritual fabric of the innocent universe. The poem presents a logical argument for the nature of true compassion, building from human relationships to a radical redefinition of the Divine. It argues that empathy is not merely a virtue but the fundamental principle of existence, a principle embodied perfectly by a God who does not stand in judgement from afar, but who participates fully in the suffering of his creation. This is a world where sorrow is never solitary.

A Stanza-by-Stanza Explanation

Stanzas 1-3: The Human Foundation of Empathy

• "Can I see another's woe, / And not be in sorrow too?..."
  The poem begins not with a statement, but with a series of rhetorical questions. This Socratic method immediately engages the reader in a moral inquiry. The speaker questions whether it is possible to witness suffering ("woe," "grief," "a falling tear") and remain emotionally detached. The expected answer is a resounding "no." This establishes the poem's first premise: true empathy is an involuntary and universal human response.

• "Can a father see his child / Weep, nor be with sorrow fill'd? / Can a mother sit and hear / An infant groan an infant fear?"
  Blake escalates the argument from general observation to the most intimate of human bonds: parent and child. The love of a father for his child and a mother for her infant is presented as the archetype of unconditional, empathetic love. The implied answer is that it is unimaginable for a parent to remain unmoved by their child's pain. This is the most powerful evidence for his argument, grounding divine compassion in a human experience accessible to all.

• "No, no! never can it be! / Never, never can it be!"
  The third stanza breaks the pattern of questions with a powerful, repeated denial. The anaphoric repetition of "Never" conveys absolute certainty. The logical argument is complete: empathy is an innate, unbreakable law of the human heart, most perfectly expressed in parental love.

Stanzas 4-6: The Divine Corollary

• "And can he who smiles on all / Hear the wren with sorrows small, / Hear the small bird's grief & care, / Hear the woes that infants bear..."
  The poem makes its pivotal turn from the human to the divine. The rhetorical questioning continues, but the subject is now God—"he who smiles on all." If humans, in their limited capacity, are compelled towards empathy, then what of a God whose very nature is love? Blake’s genius is in scaling down the suffering to the "sorrows small" of a "wren" and the "woes that infants bear." This argues that a truly benevolent God must be concerned with the smallest, most seemingly insignificant grief. His compassion is not reserved for grand tragedies but is infinite in its attention to detail.

• "And not sit beside the nest, / Pouring pity in their breast; / And not sit the cradle near, / Weeping tear on infant's tear... / O, no! never can it be!"
  The imagery here is breathtakingly intimate. This is not a distant, monarchical God. This is a God who "sits beside the nest" and "the cradle," a companion in sorrow. The phrase "weeping tear on infant's tear" is one of Blake's most powerful, suggesting a God who does not merely observe pain but actively shares in it, his divine tears mingling with human ones. The conclusion is the same as for humanity: it is a logical and moral impossibility for this God to be indifferent.

Stanzas 7-9: The Incarnation and Omnipresent Compassion

• "He doth give his joy to all; / He becomes an infant small; / He becomes a man of woe; / He doth feel the sorrow too."
  This stanza is the theological core of the poem, condensing the entire Christian narrative of Incarnation and Atonement into four lines.

1. "He gives his joy to all": God's fundamental nature is joyful and generative.

2. "He becomes an infant small": This is the Incarnation—God fully entering the human condition, starting with its most vulnerable state.

3. "He becomes a man of woe": This is the Christ of the Passion, the "suffering servant" who takes on the world's sorrow.

4. "He doth feel the sorrow too": The ultimate conclusion: God is not a passive observer but a participatory being who feels our pain. This is the doctrine of a sympathetic God taken to its extreme.

• "Think not thou canst sigh a sigh / And thy maker is not by; / Think not thou canst weep a tear / And thy maker is not near."
  The poem shifts to a direct, prophetic address to the reader. The logical argument now becomes a personal promise and a warning. It asserts God's immanence—his pervasive presence within every moment of human experience, especially suffering. There is no privacy in sorrow, not because God is spying, but because he is in compassionate solidarity with us.

• "O! he gives to us his joy / That our grief he may destroy; / Till our grief is fled & gone / He doth sit by us and moan."
  The poem concludes with a stunning description of God's mission. His joy is the weapon against our grief. The final image is not of a God who instantly fixes problems, but one who "sits by us and moan[s]" in a vigil of compassion until the grief passes. This portrays a patient, enduring, and deeply relational God whose primary response to pain is intimate companionship.

Major Themes in Detail

1. The Sympathetic Imagination as Divine Law:
   The poem posits that the capacity for empathy ("the sympathetic imagination") is what connects all beings and is the defining characteristic of the divine. In the state of Innocence, the self is not isolated; its boundaries are permeable to the feelings of others. This interconnectedness is the moral structure of Blake's innocent universe.

2. Divine Immanence and a Suffering God:
   Blake radically redefines God. He rejects the deistic "Clockmaker" and the tyrannical "Old Nobodaddy" of conventional religion. The God of "On Another's Sorrow" is immanent, suffering, and Christ-like. He is not in heaven but "beside the nest" and "the cradle." This God's power is demonstrated not through wrath but through vulnerable, shared suffering.

3. The Fulfilment of "The Divine Image":
   This poem is the practical demonstration of the virtues outlined in "The Divine Image" ("Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love"). It shows these virtues in action, revealing them to be the active forces that bind the human and the divine. Pity is not just a feeling; it is "sitting beside the nest" and "weeping tear on infant's tear."

4. Vicarious Suffering and Redemption:
   The poem illustrates the Christian concept of vicarious suffering—the idea that one being can take on the suffering of others. Christ's passion is the ultimate example. Blake emphasizes that this is not a one-time historical event but an ongoing, eternal principle of God's relationship with creation. He "doth feel the sorrow too," here and now.

Literary Techniques and Their Effects

• Rhetorical Questions:
  The poem is built upon a scaffold of rhetorical questions. This forces the reader to engage logically and emotionally, leading them to agree with the poem's premise before the declarative statements are even made. It creates a collaborative, rather than didactic, tone.

• Anaphora and Repetition:
  The relentless repetition of "Can I..." and "And not..." in the opening stanzas builds a powerful, rhythmic, and incantatory force. The conclusive repetition of "Never, never can it be!" acts as a hammer blow, sealing the argument with absolute certainty. This repetition mirrors the unwavering, constant nature of the divine compassion being described.

• Intimate Imagery:
  Blake uses small, domestic, and tender images—"a falling tear," "the nest," "the cradle," "infant's tear." This contrasts with the grandiose imagery often associated with God and establishes the poem's core argument: that the divine is present in the minutiae of life and suffering.

• Logical Progression (Syllogism):
  The poem's structure is that of a logical proof:

• Major Premise: Humans (especially parents) cannot help but feel empathy.

• Minor Premise: God is the source and perfection of love.

• Conclusion: Therefore, God must be the perfection of empathy, participating directly in our sorrow.

"On Another's Sorrow" represents the pinnacle of the state of Innocence. To understand its full significance, one must consider its inevitable contrary: the state of Experience.

• Innocence ("On Another's Sorrow"): Presents a universe bound by empathy. Suffering is met with immediate, divine companionship. The answer to grief is shared mourning and the promise of joy.

• Experience (e.g., "London," "The Chimney Sweeper"): Presents a universe where this bond is broken. The cry of the infant is met with the curse of the harlot; the sigh of the soldier is met with the indifference of the state. God seems absent, and the "mind-forg'd manacles" prevent genuine human connection.

This poem, therefore, is not a denial of the world's pain but a declaration of the ideal against which the fallen world of Experience is measured. It is the memory of a divine compassion that makes the injustices of Experience so bitterly poignant.

Critical Perspectives

• S.F. Bolt's Perspective: As cited, Bolt notes that in Blake's innocent world, sorrow is not a negative force if it is "another's distress." It is, in fact, "an expression of innocence." This clarifies that the sorrow in this poem is not the bitter, isolating sorrow of Experience, but a compassionate, connecting sorrow that affirms community and love.

• C.M. Bowra's Perspective: Bowra's assertion that "God and the imagination are one" is key to a Blakean reading. The God who "sits and moans" in this poem can be interpreted as the highest expression of the human imaginative faculty—the ability to feel with another. The divine compassion described is the ultimate act of the human imagination realizing its own divine potential.

Summary of Key Takeaways

• "On Another's Sorrow" is the philosophical and theological summit of Songs of Innocence.

• It argues that empathy is an innate, universal law, perfected in God.

• Blake portrays a radically immanent and suffering God who participates directly in creation's pain.

• The poem uses a logical structure (rhetorical questions, anaphora) to build an irrefutable case for divine compassion.

• Its intimate imagery (cradles, nests, tears) domesticates the divine, making it accessible and comforting.

• It must be read as the contrary ideal against which the broken world of Songs of Experience is defined.

By fully grasping this poem, you understand the highest aspiration of Blake's state of Innocence: a universe unified by a chain of love so powerful that not a single sigh goes unheard by the Divine.

Keywords: William Blake On Another's Sorrow analysis, Divine Image poem comparison, Blake theology of empathy, Songs of Innocence themes, Romantic poetry divine compassion, Blake rhetorical questions analysis.