The Voice of the Ancient Bard: Notes

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Originally this poem belonged to the Songs of Innocence sequence, but was later transferred to the Songs of Experience, such that its final stance is uncertain. It is worth contrasting the figure of the Ancient Bard with that of the Shepherd-piper who speaks in the Introduction:Innocence. Here the 'Youth of Delight' is invited to participate in a vision of truth, and to cast aside doubt and folly. Possibly the poem is inviting the attitude of Innocence to cast aside its innocence and to learn from what is presented in the Songs of Experience. Alternatively, perhaps the poem is a kind of summative statement for the Songs of Innocence and Experience as a whole, with its summons to a new life and vision.

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