The article presents the analysis and interpretation of the poem by Joseph Brodsky "A song of innocence, also of experience" (1972). Despite the allusions to the books of William Blake contained in the title and structure of Brodsky's poem, and the borrowed key images, the article proves that the early romantic visionary poetics of William Blake could not attract the attention of Brodsky, who gravitates towards the metaphysical and neoclassical traditions. The most important source of the poem "A song of innocence, also of experience" is Czeslaw Milosz's poem "The Child of Europe" (1946). The similarities between the poems are found in rhythm, theme, as well as in the figurative and motivational system. "A song of innocence, also of experience" is built on the principle that David Bethea called triangular vision and which becomes the leading principle in the later work of Joseph Brodsky. The Polish literary tradition, along with 32 the Anglo-American tradition, is very important for Brodsky’s artistic system. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the parallels in both texts, as well as to solve the problem of the perception, why the artistic experience of Milos is important for Brodsky. Also, the article presents reflections on the properties of the collective lyrical subject in the lyrics of Joseph Brodsky, which in many respects goes back to Milosz. Both poems are united by the theme of a big story and the existence of a person in it. It is concluded that J. Brodsky builds his poem as an afterword or a response to the poem "The Child of Europe". The lyrical subject of J. Brodsky's poem is precisely the "child of Europe" to whom C. Milosz's poem is addressed
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