William Blake's, A Little Boy Lost

In his famous Songs of Experience, William Blake makes us party to his critical, and occasionally terrifying, visions of contemporary society. Organized religion, in particular, aroused Mr. Blake's scorn. This is evidenced throughout his work, particularly his poem, "A Little Boy Lost." This chilling poem offers a skeptical look at the sacred cows of contemporary Christianity, as well as the price exacted for free thinking. Overall, "A Little Boy Lost" amounts to a thunderous condemnation of the church.

The poem opens with the innocent questions of a child who, essentially, knows a bit too much for his own good. To wit:

'Nought loves another as itself,
Nor venerates another so,
Nor is it possible to thought
A greater than itself to know.

In the context of the poem's narrative, this is simply the common-sense narrative of a child, one too young to have yet been fully indoctrinated into Christianity. Yet, in the wider context, we can also see William Blake throwing down the gauntlet. For Blake understands that humans are individual creatures, and doesn't see anything wrong with a fondness for oneself, in and of itself. This goes directly against the grain of Christian doctrine, which teaches its students humility and self-sacrifice. The two most important of Christian duties are generally agreed to be loving one's neighbor and God, as much or more than one loves themself (see The Gospel of Matthew, 22:37 - 22:40).

The reaction to this intellectual apostasy comes swiftly, as the child's uncomfortable questions reach the ears of a nearby priest:

The priest sat by and heard the child;
In trembling zeal he seized his hair,
He lead him by his little coat,
And all admired his priestly care.

Though ostensibly a simple description, this passage is also bursting with criticism of the church. Note that the priest's zeal is described as "trembling," giving the impression that his religious zeal has overcome his other faculties. He also seizes the young heretic by his hair, a rather brutal way to deal with a child.