A Child and A Branch of Light: A Comparative Study of “Child Imagery” in Blake and Sepehri

Reading across cultural and linguistic borders brings into light the shared concepts and ideologies that might otherwise remain obscure. This comparative study aims at a reading of Sohrab Sepehri and William Blake, two acknowledged and influential figures of Romantic poetry in their own era and culture. As painters and poets, they both employ symbols and imageries that can be read visually as well as verbally. Among the prevalent imageries that the two poets recurrently implement is child imagery. Typically, a child is the symbol of innocence. Blake’s Songs of Innocence delineates Jung s definition of the archetypal child which considers a child as a source of inspiration, innocence, and wholeness. In a comparable fashion, Sohrab Sepehri’s poetry portrays a mystical perspective toward a child and signifies it as a symbol of creation, perfect mentor, mentee, simple joy, wisdom, uncomplicated philosophy as well as bravery in overcoming obstacles on a quest for truth. This study, therefore, through stepping outside the linguistic and national boundaries, explores the aesthetic development of the child imagery in these two poets and highlights their shared perspective towards this prevalent imagery.