Tiger, Tiger...

We're beginning a new term today, and Shug is expectantly awaiting the arrival of a certain package from Amazon. (In other words, I didn't order some of our books soon enough - we don't have them, yet.) It's okay, though, because we have the ones we really need for this week and, although her poetry book for the term is in the upcoming shipment, we have plenty of others on the shelf that she can thumb through for the next few days :)



SweetP is also patiently waiting. Same shipment - different book ;)




In the meantime, they can both get started on their poem for this term's memory work. Usually, they each have their own individual little poem. This term, though, they both wanted the same one... (I think they like that it's just slightly scary)...

The Tiger
by William Blake

Tiger, tiger, 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 seize the fire?

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

What the hammer? 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?

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



Does that seem like a long poem for Year One? I would have thought so, too, when SweetP began last year. The girls have continually surprised me with their memory work, though, and I've come to realize that they really can memorize longer Bible passages and poems. The keys to memory work are frequency and consistency. On average, we get memory work in about four days a week. The girls are really looking forward to this term's selection :) Honestly, so am I. I may have to join them and memorize it, too.


I have included Word documents of the poems we have used for Year One memory work in my yahoo group files. Click here if you are interested in printing them for your own use :)