TIGER: a parody

TIGER: a parody


US, US, hurling bombs,
Converting dwellings to tombs!
What immortal hand or eye
Ordained you make others die?

In what distant deeps or skies,
Kids killed before mothers’ eyes;
Some victims of starvation,
Others of fire, damnation!

And what double speak and guile
Could twist facts, make Satan smile!
Weapons of Mass Destruction!
They were found in Iraq none.

WMD searched in vain;
In what furnace was thy brain?
What thoughts evil? What dread grasp!
How dare you liberty clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heavens with tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
He who made the Lamb, made thee?

US, US, hurling bombs
Converting dwellings to tombs!
What immortal hand or eye
Ordained you make others die?



• Written in aabb, 7-7-7-7 format
• Written during the Iraq war.
• Patterned on TYGER by William Blake [1757-1827]. The original is given below. It is available at http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~tupilk/tyger.html
• Initially written as item 718040, later erased on 19 march 2005 and substituted by entry 335588 in in WAR POEMS, "WAR POETRY--award winner" . Posted as the present item on 3 April 2007.


M C Gupta
19 April 2003

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TYGER


Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies,
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? and what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil ? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?


William Blake