"I have no name:
I am but two days old."
What shall I call thee?
"I happy am,
Joy is my name."
Sweet joy befall thee!
Pretty Joy!
Sweet joy, but two days old.
Thou dost smile,
I sing the while;
Sweet joy befall thee!
This poem is a conversation between a newborn baby and its mother. The mother gives the baby the chance to name itself and chooses Joy because being so young, joy is all it knows. Joy is going to be the baby's lot in life.
This poem is written in two stanzas of six lines, each with 28 syllables. The rhyme scheme is ABCDDC. One theme is The Gift of Life! I've noticed that couplets within each stanza match up with couplets of the same position in the next stanza.
The fact that the baby picks its own name symbolizes Blake's desire to see the human spirit determine its own state of bliss, rather than seek help in some religion or group organization. The main idea this poem tries to reach is when left alone, find happiness not help.
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