A NEW IMAGE OF THE DIVINE
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“The Divine Image” is a poem by William Blake written during the period of the
Romantic Age. Blake’s work is indicative of the Romantic period in that the poem is both
appreciative of traditional Christian roots yet is also radical for its time in the way which it
presents a non-sectarian spirituality. In “The Divine Image” Blake expresses a deep appreciation
for the potential of the divine to be found throughout humanity. Blake’s poem appears to be both
idealistic and modern, a true mark of the Romantic era. In “The Divine Image,” Blake uses
imagery and a theme of the higher human spiritual values to illustrate his concepts of God and
spirituality.
Blake’s Image of the Divine
Blake uses imagery to create the portrait of the human as a divine aspect of God. This is
evident in Blake’s second stanza, “For Mercy has a human heart/ Pity a human face/ And Love
the human form divine…” (“The Divine Image”). Here, Blake describes qualities attributed to
Christ such as mercy, pity and, love. Yet Blake paints an image of God by stating that mercy has
“a human heart” and pity “a human face.” (“The Divine Image”). Blake’s use of imagery
suggests that humans possess the ability to act as God or the Divine. It seems that Blake is
making the profound assumption that one needs to look no further than himself to find God.
Blake’s thinking was quite progressive for this period and marked the beginning of an age which
began to expand its traditional notions of God and religion. During Blake’s time the church was
still a powerful political and social force in Great Britain and to speak out as contrary was
viewed as eccentric and undermining. However, Blake’s poetry spoke of a non-religious sort of
spirituality, one which placed a responsibility on the individual to act according to God’s
principles.
A Theme of Higher Consciousness as Spirituality