e and experiencewithin himself. No living being can exist solely ininnocence or experience. We necessarily must be acombination of both.In Introduction from Songs of Innocence, the Piper"loses" his innocence, in a manner of speaking. The childmakes the Piper write his songs so "that all may read". Indoing so, he creates writing for the first time. Therefore,he gains experience, in that he can educate others of hissongs, teach them to others, all the while, not having toremember them all. It is not so much that he has lost hisinnocence, as that he has gained experience.Blake passes from the Piper in Songs of Innocence tothe Bard in Songs of Experience much in the same manner hedid with the Lamb and the Tyger. In the Songs of Innocence,the Lamb is a powerful symbol of innocence. It is youth; itis white; it is innocent and gentle. In contrast, the Tygeris a symbol of experience. It is cunning, deceitful andcruel. The images from the Songs of Innocence are inverselyparalleled in the Songs of Experience. Therefore, what isinnocent becomes experienced, and vice-versa.In his poems, Blake does not describe innocence orexperience. He does not even employ these terms, yetproceeds to paint a portrait of these states. He recreatesa state of innocence or of experience by using a number ofdifferent techniques. For example, in Introduction fromSongs of Innocence, the rhythm of the poem is very childlikeand simple. It is a bouncy rhythm which is very easilyfollowed, but not structured in any way. This pattern issimple, like a child, and free from experience. The use ofthe child as a symbol of innocence is another method Blakeutilizes to recreate this state of innocence. Another technique Blake used is placing oppositeswithin the poem. For example, he writes: "While he weptwith joy to hear." and " And I stain'd the water clear,". In an adult's rational mind, these contraries cannot exist. We do not normally cry when we are happy, but...
