'The Clod and the Pebble' is an extremely compact comparison between unselfish love, represented by the clod, and selfish love, represented by the pebble. It is part of the collection of poems in the 'Songs of Experience'.
The Clod
A clod is a lump of earth or clay, and therefore insubstantial and weak. Here, it represents a state of pure, childlike innocence, offering its views on the sanctity of love. It comments that it "seeketh not itself to please,/ Nor for itself hath any care", suggesting simply that it is an unselfish emotion. The fact that these ideas must be stated by the clod indicates an implicit comparison with other humanly feelings, which are therefore implied to be selfish in relation. It is also implied that there is a degree of self-sacrifice involved, since "for another [it] gives its ease". The clod finally comments that love "builds a Heaven in Hell's despair", an idea suggested in Milton's 'Paradise Lost': ultimately, happiness is a state of mind, and can therefore be achieved regardless of one's external circumstances.
The Bridge
The middle stanza acts as a bridge between the clod's views on love and those of the pebble. The speaker comments that the clod "sang", connoting a blissful joyousness that evokes scenes from the 'Songs of Innocence'; indeed, the clod epitomises the state of being portrayed in that first set of poems. However, it becomes "Trodden with the cattle's feet", suggesting weakness and malleability. This suggests that Blake did not fully condone this state of pure innocence; instead, he propounded what he called 'organised' innocence, which involves entering a state of experience before exiting with a greater sense of enlightenment.
The semi-colon at the end of the second line indicates a change in tone, splitting the structure of the poem into two polarised halves - the first of innocence, the second of experience. The subsequent 'But' introduces an unsettling apprehensiveness, signalling the entrance of the pebble. This pebble emerges from a brook, or a small stream; in Blake's poetry, water is often used in conjunction with the state of experience, symbolising materialism and a general fallen state. The verb 'warble', meaning to sing in a quavering voice, is used to evoke instability, and to contrast with the happy sounds of the clod.
The Pebble
A pebble is dense and unchangeable, much like the state of experience that it symbolises in this final stanza. Its comments are antithetical to those of the clod, initiating its speech, for instance, by stating that love is entirely selfish, seeking "only self to please". The verb "bind" is used to suggest that love almost consciously traps people to its alluring "delight". It is also portrayed as sadistic, producing "Joys in another's loss of ease". The final line offers an exact reverse of the adage in that of the first stanza, suggesting that love actually sucks the joy from an otherwise peaceful state of being. The fact that the poem culminates with the views of the pebble implies that these are the views that prevail in the state of experience.
A Final Word
'The Clod and the Pebble' neatly encapsulates the opposing views of love in the states of innocence of experience. Its symbolism is rooted in nature, suggesting that the poem is a presentation of inherent, universal truths.
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