Use of symbolism in William Blake's songs of innocence and experience

There is hardly any poen in Songs of Innocence and
Experience which does not have a symbolic or allegorical or allusive implication. Though
these poems are rendered in the simplest possible language, they also have almost
unfathomable meaning. The language of these poems is somewhat scriptual -simple and
profound at th esame time. For example in the poem 'The Lamb' Blake says : "I
a child and thou a lambWe are called by His name" Christ is the lamb of God ,
and figuratively, we often call the child a little Lamb.

In
'Songs of Innocence', Blake accepts Lamb and child to symbolize innocence. Moreover ,
they also stand for Jesus Christ. While the oak tree of 'The Echoing Green' symbolizes
old age, the poem, as a whole, may be considered to symbolise the life of man. In 'The
Chimney-Sweeper' the cloud and the grave stand for the physical body of
man.

In 'Songs of Experience', traditional symbols are
given different connotations. For example 'The Tiger' is the anti-type of the lamb of
innocence. It represents the violent and energetic aspects of human soul. God's purpose
are esoteric, diverse and strange. The same hand that gives birth to the lamb goes to
create just the opposite- a tiger. But the beauty that lies in the creation and the
created object(tiger) is a testimony to God as a master craft man.  In the world of
Experience the violent and destructive elements in creation must be faced and accepted.
It is also to be admired likewise. In the two poems which tell the story of Lyca, wild
beast like leopards, tigers and lions symbolizes the human passions and
energies.