Divine Image analysis. Blake is saying in this poem that we pray in times of distress and thank God our father dear for his blessings. However, it seems in this poem that Blake is contemplating the form of God as well as his existence.

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The Divine Image Analysis – Naufal Hakim 13.3

This poem has 5 stanzas and it follows an ABCB rhyming pattern and an iambic rhythm which gives it an easy flow and a sense of naturalness (which is often found in songs and hymns). The simple vocabulary and short lines, as well as the lilting rhythm give the poem a mantra like quality, or perhaps rather like a nursery rhyme which resonates the spiritual content of the piece. Blake is saying in this poem that we pray in times of distress and thank ‘God our father dear’ for his blessings. However, it seems in this poem that Blake is contemplating the form of God as well as his existence. He describes ‘Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love’ as the four ‘virtues of delight’ because they form the ‘divine image’ or God. In this interpretation, and the more orthodox Christian view, that God is the holder of these qualities.

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However, what Blake seems to be saying within the third stanza is that, these qualities are equivalent to a man’s by personifying them and relating them to the characteristics of a human. By doing this, Blake is trying to show that these aren’t just God’s qualities but his actual substance (his being). These virtues are what we think of God to be, and therefore, is God himself. However looking more deeply into the poem, perhaps Blake has personified these characteristics because he is trying to say God is modelled on the ideal human (for we all aspire to be merciful, ...

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