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Title
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Title Page: Songs of Experience (1955)
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Student Commentary:
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In the title page for Songs of Experience, included in the combined edition of Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1955 facsimile), an elderly couple appears to have died recently. They lie side by side in a bed with their arms stretched out flat at their sides. At the foot of the bed, on either side, is a woman in a blue-green dress. Both women appear to be distressed and have their hands in front of them in grief or prayer. The sky is a beautiful mix of blue, yellow, and pink. The words that comprise the title are surrounded by delicate pink flowers, as well as two figures with legs extended in a sort of dance pose. The picture beautifully juxtaposes joy and agony - surely two key components of ‘experience’.
The coloring and impact of this image should be compared to that of other reproductions in the library’s collections, made by different hands or from different original copies.
