On Anothers Sorrow
On Anothers Sorrow - meaning Summary
Divine Empathy and Shared Sorrow
Blake argues that compassion is natural and universal: seeing another's pain compels shared sorrow and active consolation. The poem extends this empathy to the divine, portraying God as entering human vulnerability—becoming an infant and a man of woe—to feel and soothe human suffering. God sits beside the afflicted, shares tears, and offers joy so grief will fade. The tone insists that no genuine sorrow occurs without divine presence and response.
Read Complete AnalysesCan I see anothers woe, And not be in sorrow too? Can I see anothers grief, And not seek for kind relief. Can I see a falling tear. And not feel my sorrows share, Can a father see his child, Weep, nor be with sorrow fill'd. Can a mother sit and hear. An infant groan an infant fear-- No no never can it be, Never never can it be. And can he who smiles on all Hear the wren with sorrows small. Hear the small bird's grief & care Hear the woes that infants bear-- And not sit beside the nest Pouring pity in their breast. And not sit the cradle near Weeping tear on infant's tear. And not sit both night & day. Wiping all our tears away. O! no never can it be. Never never can it be. He doth give his joy to all, He becomes an infant small, He becomes a man of woe He doth feel the sorrow too. Think not. thou canst sigh a sigh, And thy maker is not by. Think not, thou canst weep a tear, And thy maker is not near. O! he gives to us his joy. That our grief he may destroy Till our grief is fled & gone He doth sit by us and moan
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