Final answer:
William Blake's 'Songs of Innocence' and 'Songs of Experience' contrast childhood's innocence with adult experience and disillusionment, expressing mystical themes of unity with the divine, and reflecting the Romantic movement's emphasis on individual emotional and spiritual transcendence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The companion volumes Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience reveal William Blake's exploration of mysticism through poetry. These works contrast the innocent, pastoral world of childhood against a more experienced and disillusioned adult perspective. Blake's poetry delves into the mystical through symbols and themes including the dichotomy of light and darkness, visions of agony and ecstasy, and the longing for unity with a divine presence or supernatural. His work echoes the larger Romantic movement's focus on deep emotional experiences and the transcendence of the individual spirit.
Moreover, Blake's mysticism can be seen as the personal and visionary response to the vastness and complexity of the divine, often characterized by union with the supernatural, encounters beyond the sensory world, and ecstatic experiences. This philosophical and spiritual approach engages with the consensus mysticum—the commonality of mystical experiences around the world—and the transcendental nature of such experiences as described by figures like William James and Rudolph Otto.