Night

William Blake is among the earliest figures associated with the British Romantic movement. Born 1757, Blake is of an earlier generation than Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth or John Keats; however, his emphasis on nature, the body, and the power of human creativity places him firmly as one of the movement’s progenitors. Still, he is difficult to categorize. He worked as an engraver, and his visionary approach to both poetry and visual art resists classification.

Blake engraved and self-published most of his works, including 1794’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience, as illustrated manuscripts that weave visual art and poetry into a singular work. Blake’s unique style, coupled with his eccentric views on Christian religion, make his works stand out. His later works are dense with idiosyncratic meanings and religious visions that can make them appear wholly disconnected with the more popular works of Songs of Innocence and of Experience, where “Night” appears. Blake’s concerns about death, nature, and the role of religion also manifest in his simpler works like “Night.”

Poet Biography

William Blake was born in Soho, London, on 28 November 1757. Blake was the third of seven children. Blake’s father emigrated from Ireland to work as a hosier in London.