Night: Notes

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In the first three stanzas of the poem we are presented with a view of a harmonious and protected creation, watched over by guiding angels. In the fourth stanza, however, there is an acknowledgement that even these angels cannot prevent 'wolves and tygers' from preying on the meek and mild, and the poem ends with a vision of the after-life, where the lamb and the lion lie down together, and the lion becomes shepherd. 'Innocence', in the poem, may be found in this life (symbolised by grazing lambs and the guardian angels), but ultimately is to be found in the after-life. The predominant tone of the poem as a whole, however, is one of idealism and of Christian celebration.

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