The Clod and the Pebble - William Blake

The Clod and the Pebble
By William Blake

"Love seeketh not itself to please,

Nor for itself hath any care,

But for another gives its ease,

And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair."

So sung a little Clod of Clay

Trodden with the cattle's feet,

But a Pebble of the brook

Warbled out these metres meet:

"Love seeketh only self to please,

To bind another to its delight,

Joys in another's loss of ease,

And builds a Hell in Heaven's despite."

Poem Analysis:

The Love and Human spirit themed poem by William Blake provides two very different perspectives about love through characterization of a clod and a pebble. “The Clod and the Pebble” poem with the 3 stanzas containing 4 lines each, was released on 1794 in the second edition of “Songs of Innocence and Experience”. Rhymes of the poem, excluding Stanza 2, have the pattern of ABAB and are rhymed mostly with words of 1 syllable. William Blake has carefully formatted the first and last stanzas into being the complete opposite of each other, it is possible that it is the reason that only those 2 stanzas fully rhyme. With all the changes in the 2^nd stanza, more attention is attained to it.

Stanza 1 represents a Clod’s understanding of love, showing that it is unselfish, giving the other person ease and “builds a heaven in hell’s despair”. This line in line 4 of Stanza 1, makes use of paradox, and uses imagery to illustrate that love is soothing to the heart, giving you hope. The use of the places “hell” & “heaven” gives more meaning to the line, by giving meaning that it makes your struggle look easier. The same imagery is used, but exact opposite meaning is given out, on 4^th line of 3^rd stanza. Love is said to be pain, that it is selfish and makes the good things seem bad… “Builds a hell in heaven's despite”.

Stanza number 2, starts with William using the language technique called alliteration when he wrote “Clod of Clay”, also highlighting the speaker. Words such as warble and meters meet make the second speaker, the pebble, sound delicate, whereas the clod is made to look strong by saying it has been “Trodden with the cattle’s feet”. Giving the readers a thought that maybe due to the fact that the clod is pliable, it is chosen to represent selfless love.

Stanza 3 is fully dedicated to the pebble, to fill it up with his thoughts on love. Surprisingly, the thoughts of the Clod and Pebble regarding Love, are poles apart. The pebble tends to believe that love is selfish, "Love seeketh only self to please". This gives us a thought that it is possible the clod doesn't have any experience about love, so it believes that love is as it is in fairy-tales, yet the pebble however, has experienced love at first hand, and therefore knows the bitter truth of it. The hardness of the pebble can also be thought to be present in order to seal it from love. 

Research Content:

Born on November 28, 1757 in the Soho district in London, England, William Blake became a 19^th century writer who influenced countless writers in his age. At an early age of 10, Blake had a vision of a tree full on angels and more extraordinary visions. It was obvious that the Bible had a huge effect on Blake, and it lasted a lifelong time and had great influence on his work with intense spirituality.  William barely went to school, but was tutored at home by his mother, Catherine Wright.

However, when he was enrolled to Henry Par’s drawing school, his artistic abilities burst into life when he learned to sketch a human figure by copying a plaster cast. His father encouraged his interests by buying his some casts of his own. At the age of 14, due to the cost of art school being too high, he was trained by an engraver. While working with him, William was given an assignment that allowed him to sketch at the tombs at Westminster Abbey, which opened him into the world of Gothic styles. This took over the whole of his career.

He was married off to an illiterate woman named Catherine Boucher on 1782. After teaching her to read and write as well as instructing her in draftsmanship, she helped him publish the illuminated poetry for which he became famous for. Although the couple has no children, they did support each other until the dead of each other. Catherine stayed by her husband throughout his life, believing in his visions and trying hard to understand them.

The most tragic event of William’s life occurred when his beloved brother passed away. William claimed that his brother appeared to him in his vision, gifting him with a new way of “illuminated printing”. Therefore he credited all his work to Robert. He published his book of poems on 1783 named “Poetical Sketches” and after 6 years another release of a book named “The song of Innocence” was released. From the years 1793, William published a range of books until the next year.

After moving to a in Sussex on 1800, he landed up in a fight with one soldier named John Schofield and was accused of saying negative about the king of England. After being tried for sedition, and huge struggle, they couple left to London on 1803. William spent the years of 1804-1810, writing and publishing his poem Milton. Another of his famous poem “Jerusalem” was published on 1820. On 1820, William also painted a miniature called “The Ghost of a Flea”. Unfortunately, Blake died before he could illustrate Divine Comedy by Dante, leaving the task incomplete. 12 August 1827 was the death date of William Blake.