Songs+of+Innocence+and+of+Experience

In 1789, William Blake penned a collection of poems entitled //Songs of Innocence.// He wrote these poems as an illustrative delving into the perspective of someone for whom the world is still pure, and unrestrained by disappointments. As a young man, Blake was apprenticed to a professional engraver, and so, when he published the selections, they were accompanied by his own artwork that reflected the messages of innocence. Five years later, he republished the collection of //Innocence,// along with their partner poems and etches in //Songs of Experience.// The //Experience// verses showed the vision of someone who views the world in a more realistic light, often heavily embittered to the ugly truths.