William Blake's, A Little Boy Lost

In his famous Songs of Experience, William Blake makes us party to his critical, and occasionally terrifying, visions of contemporary society. Organized religion, in particular, aroused Mr. Blake's scorn. This is evidenced throughout his work, particularly his poem, "A Little Boy Lost." This chilling poem offers a skeptical look at the sacred cows of contemporary Christianity, as well as the price exacted for free thinking. Overall, "A Little Boy Lost" amounts to a thunderous condemnation of the church.

The poem opens with the innocent questions of a child who, essentially, knows a bit too much for his own good. To wit:

'Nought loves another as itself,
Nor venerates another so,
Nor is it possible to thought
A greater than itself to know.

In the context of the poem's narrative, this is simply the common-sense narrative of a child, one too young to have yet been fully indoctrinated into Christianity. Yet, in the wider context, we can also see William Blake throwing down the gauntlet. For Blake understands that humans are individual creatures, and doesn't see anything wrong with a fondness for oneself, in and of itself. This goes directly against the grain of Christian doctrine, which teaches its students humility and self-sacrifice. The two most important of Christian duties are generally agreed to be loving one's neighbor and God, as much or more than one loves themself (see The Gospel of Matthew, 22:37 - 22:40).

The reaction to this intellectual apostasy comes swiftly, as the child's uncomfortable questions reach the ears of a nearby priest:

The priest sat by and heard the child;
In trembling zeal he seized his hair,
He lead him by his little coat,
And all admired his priestly care.

Though ostensibly a simple description, this passage is also bursting with criticism of the church. Note that the priest's zeal is described as "trembling," giving the impression that his religious zeal has overcome his other faculties. He also seizes the young heretic by his hair, a rather brutal way to deal with a child.

What is perhaps most disturbing about this verse, however, lies in the insidious line: And all admired his priestly care. It may take a moment for the true extent of this statement to sink in. As the priest is manhandling a small child for no greater crime than questioning Christian doctrine, onlookers are actually admiring him for it. The words "priestly care" also imply that this is an integral part of the priest's occupation ("priestly") and that it is held to be for the boy's own good ("care"). The overall picture is one of a priesthood concerned more with conformity enforcement than spiritual leadership, and a populace so brainwashed and docile that they welcome the clergy's reign.

Why does the priest take such offense at the little boy's remarks? As luck would have it, he says so himself, and with uncommon candor:

And standing on the altar high,
"Lo, what a fiend is here!" said he;
"One who sets reason up for judge
Our most holy mystery."

Here, we have the equivalent of a confession in the priest's own hand. The boy is not a "fiend" because he has sided with Satan, or because he has committed any actual, material offense against his fellows. Rather, his fiendishness is due to the fact that he brings reason onto religion's turf. Note that the priest does not actually make any attempt to argue with the little boy's charges - he simply condemns his use of honest and logical thought. To the priest, this is a mortal sin, in and of itself.

Indeed, the boy is punished heavily for his insolent free-thinking. He is stripped of most of his clothes and bound in chains, even as his parents weep for him. Blake also notes that the little boy's sobs "could not be heard" - allegorically implying that the average Briton cares little for his fellow man. In the final verse, the poem builds to a chilling crescendo:

And burned him in a holy place
Where many had been burned before;
The weeping parents wept in vain.
Are such things done on Albion's shores?

Here, at last, the mask is torn off. The child is immolated for his few, innocent words of skepticism; furthermore, as the second line of the verse makes clear, this is apparently a fairly common practice. His parents can only weep ineffectually ("in vain") as this happens. Blake closes with an incredulous questioning of this behavior, particularly in the context of "civilized" England.

Overall, "A Little Boy Lost" is a chilling poem. Here we see Blake calmly and eloquently recount an allegory of religious zealotry, as well as the docile society which supports and perpetuates it. When we are made party to Blake's vision of the church, his hostile attitude towards it begins to seem more understandable.