- TygernounChapter 1 →
Blake's archaic or deliberately altered spelling of 'tiger,' used to give the animal a mythic, symbolic weight beyond a mere wild cat.
“Tyger Tyger, burning bright, / In the forests of the night;”
- immortaladjectiveChapter 1 →
Not subject to death; belonging to a divine or supernatural being rather than any mortal creature or human craftsman.
“What immortal hand or eye, / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”
- frameverbChapter 1 →
To construct, shape, or bring into being — here used for the act of a divine creator forming the tiger's body and nature.
“What immortal hand or eye, / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”
- fearful symmetryphraseChapter 1 →
A perfectly balanced, beautiful form that also inspires terror; the tiger's striped body is both orderly and dreadful at the same time.
“What immortal hand or eye, / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”
- deepsnounChapter 1 →
Vast, unfathomable depths — here referring to remote, unknowable regions of the cosmos, either far below or far above ordinary existence.
- sinewsnounChapter 1 →
The tough fibrous cords (tendons) that connect muscle to bone; used here to suggest the raw physical power built into the tiger's body.
- anvilnounChapter 1 →
A heavy iron block on which a blacksmith hammers hot metal into shape; part of the forge imagery that pictures God as a craftsman beating the tiger into existence.
- furnacenounChapter 1 →
A powerful enclosed fire used to heat metal until it can be worked; here it represents the intense creative energy or divine fire used to forge the tiger.
- dareverbChapter 1 →
To have the boldness or audacity to do something dangerous or morally challenging; the word implies that creating such a terrifying creature required extraordinary nerve.
“What the hand, dare seize the fire?”
- seizeverbChapter 1 →
To grab or take hold of something forcefully; here it means physically grasping the divine fire needed to create the tiger's burning eyes.
“What the hand, dare seize the fire?”
- dreadadjectiveChapter 1 →
Causing great fear or awe; when applied to the creator's hand or feet, it means those hands inspire terror by the power they wield.
- LambnounChapter 1 →
A young sheep, but here specifically a symbol of gentleness, innocence, and Christ — drawn from Blake's companion poem — set in contrast to the fierce tiger.
“Did he who made the Lamb make thee?”
The TygerShort story by William Blake