Songs of Innocence and Experience

By: William Blake

Narrated by: Brian Murray, Suzanne Toren

This collection is narrated by distinguished Broadway performers Brian Murray and Suzanne Toren. It contains all 45 poems from two famous works, revealing a child's unspoiled view of human nature and the corruption and disillusionment awaiting the innocent. Included are such favorites as "The Lamb", "The Tyger", and "The Sick Rose".

Public Domain (P)2013 Dover Publications

Poet Poet, burning bright!

Poet Poet, burning bright,
In the stanzas of the night;
What romantic coquetry,
Could frame thy fearful poetry?

In what distant when or whys,
roll'd the epic of thine eyes?
On wet verse dare he aspire?
What poet's hand, dares Shelly's pyre?

And what meter, & what art,
Could twist the cadence of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread iambs? & what dread feet?

What the motif? what the type,
In what belly was thy gripe?
What the image? what simile,
Dare its deadly metaphors be!

When all critics threw down their pens
And water'd heaven twixt now and then:
Did Marx his smile his classes see?
Did he who made cultural criticism make thee?

Poet Poet, burning bright,
In the stanzas of the night;
What romantic coquetry,
Could frame thy fearful poetry?

Giving Blake’s Vision Voice

Tygers playing their hearts into ours, hunting truth with laughing flashes of fanged delight! Well and terribly well done!

poetic melodies

l liked the dramatic reading style of the orators; so close to singing: so beautiful!

Static hiss

I've always enjoyed Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, but this audio is nothing special. The narrators are okay, but no more than that, and there is a constant static hiss in the background - a poor quality recording