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Poetical Works of William Blake, Introduced by William Butler Yeats (1910)
Poetical Works of William Blake, Introduced by William Butler Yeats (1910)
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|\
WILLIAM BUTLER
/IR.
^'^
YEATS
introduces
POETICAL WORKS
BLAKE,
as the
'
born
in
William
of
1757. died
second volume
in
the
in
1827,
the series of
in
the
year
1910
ROUTLEDGE &
by
GEORGE
SONS,
Limited.
/6^3^/
CONTENTS
P.\Gt
Introduction
xi
POETICAL SKETCHES
........
To Spring
To Summer
To Autumn
To Winter
To the Evening Star
To Morning
.....
....
.....
.....
....
Song.
silks
3
3
fine
hill
To
the Muses
An
Imitation of Sneuser
6
6
7
8
8
9
10
n
11
12
13
15
17
SONGS OF INNOCENCE
Introduction
The Shepherd
The Echoing Green
The Lamb
The Little Black Boy
The Blossom
The Chimney-Sweeper
The Little Boy Lost
The Little Boy Found
Laughing Song
47
48
48
49
50
51
.
.51
52
52
53
CONTENTS.
vi
PAGE.
A Cradle Song
53
54
Night
55
56
Spring
58
Nurse's Song
Infant Joy
A Dream
On
........
.....
Another's Sorrow
59
59
60
61
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
Introduction
........
65
Earth's Answer
66
67
My
67
68
70
71
72
72
........
Pretty Rose-Tree
75
.75
Ah, Sunflower
The Lily
The Garden of Love
The Little Vagabond
London
The Human Abstract
Infant Sorrow
73
73
74
........
........
.......
........
A Poison Tree
A Little Boy Lost
A Little Girl Lost
A Divine Image
A Cradle Song
The Schoolboy
To Tirzah
The Voice of the Ancient Bard
76
76
76
77
78
79
79
80
81
82
82
83
84
85
CONTENTS.
FACE
Young Love
The Birds
The Land of Dreams
To Mr. Butts
To my dear Friend, Mrs. Anna Flaxman
The Pilgrim
,
Proverbs
The Gates
of Paradise
A Song of Sorrow
In a Myrtle Shade
Day
Barren Blossom
Opportunity
Love's Secret
Way
Cupid
William Bond
Mary
Old English Hospitality
CONTENTS.
....
to Blair's "
PAGE
136
Grave
139
140
141
Tiriel
176
194
207
Ahaaia
From
The Song
2l8
Enitharmon
of
Universal Humanity
From " Jerusalem "
219
221
To the PubUc
IL To the Jews
IIL To the Deists
I.
IV.
To
the Christian
221
224
225
229
itself
233
PROSE FRAGMENTS
en
239
250
Identity
Minute Knowledge
of a Last Judgment
The Nature
251
251
252
253
253
There
Notes
is
no Natural Religion,
of Life
I,
II
253
254
254
255
23 5, 261
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Early
difficulties,
some
and escaped both by marrying a
extent
woman named
five children,
one of
WILLIAM BLAKE
xii
among
He must
often
new
INTRODUCTION
xiii
unlikely a story.
His preparation
for
his
great
calling
WILLIAM BLAKE
xiv
upon
its
leaves."
fulfil
of his mind,
;
INTRODUCTION
xv
a premium must be paid for his apprenticeship, said it would be unfair to his brothers
and sister, and asked to be set to engraving
Accordingly, after three or four
instead.
years' study at the drawing-school of a
certain Parr, whose house stood where now
King William Street joins the Strand,
we find him working with an engraver
Basire was an excellent
called Basire.
engraver, but belonged to a school then
giving way before more graceful if less
His influence never foraustere methods.
sook Blake, who always preserved an enthusiastic
remembrance
of
He was
the
him and
his
master first
Blake had been brought to the
selected.
studio of one Rylands, then at the summit
of popularity, but had said, " Father, I
he looks as
do not like the man's look
"
if he would live to be hanged
a prophecy
methods.
not
that was
fulfilled
twelve years
later,
when
Basire's
31,
Great
xvi
WILLIAM BLAKE
would.
Abbey
of genius
as they
is
very
INTRODUCTION
xvii
Shelley, tormented by
it to death.
the gull-like animosity of his schoolfellows
plunged a pen through the hand of a tormentor. Blake leant out from a scaffolding
where he sat at work and flung a Westminster student from a cornice, whither he
had cHmbed the better to tease him. The
boy fell heavily upon the stone floor, and
Blake went off and laid a formal complaint
" The tigers of wrath "
before the Dean.
peck
To be
Then, too, we
But no good
No
all
states of mind,
xviii
WILLIAM BLAKE
of
his
later
drawings.
INTRODUCTION
xix
came
who,
to
him
in the
works of Chatterton,
had lately published
WILLIAM BLAKE
XX
of the
of the illustrations
to the " Prophetic Books ", such as the false,
smiling face at the bottom of one of the
Works of
(see The
pages of " Vala "
William Blake, page 5 of the lithographs
from " Vala "), and more than one of the
lyrics, such as " Love's Secret ", may conceivably owe their inspiration to her. Indubitably a certain type of feminine beauty,
at once soft and cruel, emotional and egotistic, filled Blake with a mingled terror and
wonder that lasted all his days. And there
is no clear evidence of any other woman
beside this Clara or Polly Woods and his
own good wife, having come at all into his
life.
The impression made upon him by this
girl
to
have lasted
on
for
INTRODUCTION
xxi
Enitharmon
is
WILLIAM BLAKE
xxii
of
Los
his
sleep of death
silent tread.
re-
INTRODUCTION
inn, return
xxiii
first
work,
Flaxman and
of
some
dilettanti friends,
to gather at a Rev.
";
xxiv
WILLIAM BLAKE
and we
slow,
"And
INTRODUCTION
xxv
little
there
was, in
all
likelihood,
his
first
symbolic
Was
this
tells
how
man
that
man",
the imaginative
bitter protest.
WILLIAM BLAKE
XXV
and window shutters ", if Blake's recollection do not play him false about the twentyyears, the writing of " The Island of the
Moon ", and a quarrel with the Rathbone
Place coterie, of which we have some vague
record, must have come all very near
together.
Soon
ment with
to print illustrations
ings
INTRODUCTION
xxvii
The
and
composed
of pitch
and turpentine.
xxviii
WILLIAM BLAKE
we may
"the
and
like
page
summer clouds. The poems
themselves are the morning songof his genius.
The thought of the world's sorrow, and that
indignation which he has called " the voice
of God ", soon began to make hoarse the
sweetness, if also to deepen the music of
The third book that came from
his song.
his press, " The Marriage of Heaven and
Hell ", dated 1790, has the fierce note which
never after wholly died out of his work.
Book
INTRODUCTION
xxix
poem
called
uncommon
WILLIAM BLAKE
XXX
and
its
advent.
The
Swedenborg
eternal
the
is
angel sitting at the tomb
his writings are
the linen clothes folded up." The creative
imagination of William Blake the Christ
in him
had arisen from the tomb in the
thirty-third year of his age, the year at which
Christ had arisen, and with it had revived
hell its activity and heaven its passivity,
and the garments of theologic faith which
had so long disguised it were thrown away.
hell
revives,
lo,
'
IN TROD UC TION
xxxi
forgotten
predecessors,
xxxii
WILLIAM BLAKE
truth God spake to the red clay at the beginning of the world.
The essentials of the teaching of " The
Prophetic Books " can be best explained by
extracts mainly from the " prose writings ",
for the language of the books themselves is
exceedingly technical. " God is in the lowest
effects as well as in the highest causes," he
wrote on the margin of a copy of Lavater's
" For let it be remembered
" Aphorisms."
INTRODUCTION
xxxiit
life
we touch and
see,
exist for
our
spiritual
world
WILLIAM BLAKE
xxxiv
mind", say
is
who
face
and by those
" loves
and tears
of
INTRODUCTION
xxxv
my
taken
in
will.
writing
to
discuss
presences
significant
and
precise
to
the
laborious
c
WILLIAM BLAKE
xxxvi
who cannot
all
labour.
ISIerlin's
Blake's students.
much
IN TROD UCTION
And
thus
it befell
xxxvU
More frightened
downstairs towards him.
than ever before or after, he took to his
heels and ran out of the house."
In 1800 he left London for the first time.
Flaxman had introduced him to a certain
Hayley, a popular poet of the day, who
poured out long streams of verse, always
lucid, always rational, always uninspired.
He wrote prose too, and was now busy 'M
his turreted country house putting together
a life of Cowper. Blake was invited to
engrave the illustrations, and to set up
house in the neighbourhood. At first all
went well. The village of Felpham seemed
an entirely beautiful place, beloved of God
and of the spirits. Blake met all manner
of kings and poets and prophets walking
in shadowy multitudes on the edge of the
sea, " majestic shadows, grey but luminous,
and superior to the common height of
man." Other and more gentle beings
appeared likewise. " Did you ever see a
fairy's funeral
who
him
last
night.
in
my
garden
there was great stillness among
the branches and flowers, and more than
;
xxxriii
common
WILLIAM BLAKE
INTRODUCTION
xxxix
away down
man remembered
flashing
was
eyes.
Scofield,
The
soldier,
appears
in
whose name
" Jerusalem "
presumably because
which is " the voice
of God",
turned him from the garden,
Blake held all " natural events " to be but
symbolic messages from the unknown
xl
WILLIAM BLAKE
INTRODUCTION
xli
artistic creation
less illustrations of
of his
visions.
We
see the
xlii
WILLIAM BLAKE
INTRODUCTION
xliii
was
his
enemies in
all
things,
and
success.
issue,
WILLIAM BLAKE
xHv
atom
of
dust,
" eternal
mind
",
The
the blots and blurs",
INTRODUCTION
what
for
is
xlv
whom
and
is
not
WILLIAM BLAKE
xlvi
He
and was
He got ^o of this
second ;^ioo before his death, the slow sale
not making a bigger sum possible. In
1822 he painted a very fine series of watercolours illustrating " Paradise Lost " for
Mr. Linncll, filling them with the peculiariprofits of publication.
ties of his
own
them
Of those he
engraved,
IN TROD UC TION
xlvii
in
own
house.
God
is
in heaven."
"
On
who had
WILLIAM BLAKE
xlviii
saint,"
said a poor
in to help Mrs.
Blake.
away
into
'
of
'
She
left his
scripts, of
Allan
reasoning."
Though Tatham, bound in
by systematic theology, did him well nigh
the greatest wrong one man can do another,
none the less is Tatham's MS. life of Blake
a long cry of admiration. He speaks of
" his noble and elastic mind ", of his profound and beautiful talk, and of his varied
knowledge. Yet, alas, could he only have
NTROD UC TION
xlix
to
long,
Boehme
held,
and Swedenborg
*'
also,
in vain.
W.
B.
YEATS.
HAVE
to
my
introduction
to
reprint
Mr.
three
lyrics
from
**
Blake's ancestry.
POETICAL SKETCHES
TO SPRING.
O THOU with dewy locks, who lookest down
Through the clear windows of the morning, tnrn
Thine angel eyes upon our western isle.
Which
The
hills tell
Valleys hear
Up
thy approach,
let
Come
Spring
And
visit
issue forth.
our clime
pour
TO SUMMER.
O THOU who
their
large
nostrils
heat
Thou,
BLAKE'S POEMS
o'er the
down, and
Some bank
mossy
have heard
valleys,
on
Silk draperies
Our
deep of heaven.
in our
oft
ofi.
Summer
in his pride.
TO AUTUMN.
O Autumn,
With
laden with
fruit,
and stained
Beneath
my shady roof
And
And
all
Sing
now
sit
my fresh pipe.
And
Summer
POETICAL SKETCHES
The Spirits of the Air Hve on the smells
Of fruit and Joy, with pinions light, roves round
The gardens, or sits singing in the trees,"
Thus sang the jolly Autumn as he sat
Then rose, girded himself, and o'er the bleak
Hills fled from our sight
but left his golden load.
''
TO WINTER.
O Winter
The North
is
roofs.
He
hears
me
Rides heavy
not,
his
In ribbed steel
now
whose skin
To
He
withers
all in silence,
and
in his
He
clings
groaning rocks
hand
frail life.
cliffs,
the mariner
Poor little wretch, that deal'st
till heaven smiles, and the monster
With storms
Is driv'n yelling to his caves beneath Mount Heel a.
Cries in vain.
fair-haired
Now,
Thy
BLAKE'S POEMS
And
The
fleeces of
Thy
sacred
dew
protect
influence
TO MORNING.
O HOLY virgin,
Awake
the
dawn
gates,
and
issue forth
let light
that
Roused
like
Thy buskined
feet
hills.
SONG.
How sweet
And
tasted
Where
all his
POETICAL SKETCHES
With sweet May-dews
my wings
were wet.
He
And mocks my
loss of liberty.
SONG.
air.
is fair
as heaven
heart
His breast
Where all
is
is
wintry cold
love's pilgrims
come.
Then down
I'll
lie,
as cold as clay.
BLAKE'S POEMS
SONG.
Love and harmony combine.
And around our souls entwine,
While thy branches mix with mine,
And our roots together join.
Joys upon our branches sit,
Chirping loud and singing sweet
Like gentle streams beneath our
Innocence and virtue meet.
Thou
I
am
feet.
air.
SONG.
I
And where
lisps the
maiden's tongue.
POETICAL SKETCHES
I
hill,
And
I
fail,
fill.
Where
And
I
all
tree,
But, Kitty,
An-] love
them
But thou
all,
see.
ever shall,
art all to
me.
SONG.
Memory, hither come.
And tune your merry
notes
And
they pass
glass.
BLAKE'S POEMS
10
To
places
fit
I'll
go
for woe.
With
silent
Melancholy.
MAD
SONG.
>
And
The earth do
Lo
dawn
scorn.
to the vault
Of paved heaven,
With sorrow fraught.
And with
tempests play.
And with
I turn
night will go
my back
to the east
light
With
doth
seize
frantic pain.
increased
my brain
POETICAL SKETCHES
li
SONG.
Fresh from
the
dewy
hill,
the
merry Year
O
O
light
So,
So,
Each
village
feet.
my black-eyed maxd
fire
inspire.
SONG.
And
away
I go,
my pensive woe.
BLAKE'S POEMS
Curse
Oft,
my
when
Summer
sleeps
my pleasing woe.
among
the trees,
curse
That made
all
false, his
And
low.
my mixed lot,
TO TH!i MUSES.
Whether on
.1
Where
POETICAL SKETCHES
left
13
of old enjoyed in
you
AN IMITATION OF SPENSER.
Golden
In lucent words
and truth
his
beams.
yield'st to
in vain
(For Ignorance
is
BLAKE'S POEMS
t4
Down,
And
fly
And
Vile savage
Mercury, assist
in lonely cell.
my labouring sense
And
Jove,
maiden terrible,
Lov'st thou to walk the peaceful solemn grove,
In solemn gloom of branches interwove ?
Or bear'st thy aegis o'er the burning field.
Where like the sea the waves of battle move ?
Or have thy soft piteous eyes beheld
The weary wanderer through the desert rove ?
Or does the afflicted man thy heavenly bosom move
Pallas, Minerva,
POETICAL SKETCHES
15
BLIND-MAN'S BUFF.
Susan's clothes.
stool
Jenny her
And
"
(
'BLAKE'S
i6
POEMS
" See
what
it is
to play unfair
He
"
sees
he sees
there."
Now
"
!
And Roger
turns
Then pauses
him round
three times.
But Dick
ere he starts.
lay
Confusion startles
all
around.
And
The
cold relief
And Hodge
the blood
is
stayed,
And
those
who
POETICAL SKETCHES
By wholesome
Who on
laws, such as
17
All those
man
impose
Stand in his stead
as, long agone
When men were first a nation grown,
Lawless they lived, till wantonness
And liberty began to increase.
And one man lay in another's way
Then laws were made to keep fair play.
the blinded
;
Bishop.
SCENE, The
Coast of France.
before
it.
The Army.
brass.
Are
When
When
And
confusion rages,
when
the field
is
in a flame,
yelling
BLAKE'S POEMS
Won by
The enemy
then
heavy
be free
We
And
my
most righteous
steel,
cause,
that they
And
thou,
my
son,
be strong
thou fightest
for a
crown
That death can never ravish from thy brow,
A crown of glory but from thy very dust
;
Shall
beam a
radiance, to
fire
the breasts
fame.
POETICAL SKETCHES
19
we
divide
by day,
And
Lionel,
Philippa,
clarence.
My Lords,
of her
unfledged years
BLAKE'S POEMS
20
may
Glory
dimmed with
not be
clouds of care.
My
first
merce ?
Lord Bishop, you would recommend us
ture
com-
to
agricul-
BISHOP.
Sweet
And no
How
If
to
Industry
is
in
my diocese.
This
is
and
my private
But, as
I sit
my pleasure.
with my prince.
duty and
in council
My
CLARENCE.
O my
my
Lords,
my
POETICAL SKETCHES
2i
To
which is,
Lord Percy
ask,
fear
Mayor
of
London
If I
To
advice,
will
not give
me
leave.
PERCY.
Dear
And
Sir,
CLARENCE.
LORD
Thou
to shine sometimes.
{aside).
Will be imposed on
by the
fear
closer sort.
CLARENCE.
endeavour to take
I have been used so much
Lord Percy's advice
To dignity that I'm sick on't.
Well,
I'll
BLAKE'S POEMS
22
QUEEN
Fie,
fie,
Lord Clarence
But speak
I
PHILIPPA.
to busi
CLARENCE.
My Lords,
many
aid.
PERCY.
BISHOP.
may
They
can,
and
will
suffer
To England, when
will
POETICAL SKETCHES
23
Can,
chants
if they
These rovers
will,
:
this
Worthy
PERCY.
But we
QUEEN
PHULIPPA.
[Exeuni.
SCENE, At
Sir Thomas
Cressy.
AUDLEY.
Good-morrow, brave Sir Thomas
the bright morn
Smiles on our army, and the gallant sun
Springs from the hills like a young hero
;
BLAKE'S POEMS
24
Exultingly
this is a
promising day.
DAGWORTH.
Why,
Give
I
my Lord
me your
Audley,
hand, and
don't know.
now
Philip.
AUDLEV.
Ha, ha
Sir
Did you
e'er see
him
fear
joke
At Blanchetaque,
fight so.
AUDLEY.
By
'tis
fear
DAGWORTH.
Look upon Edward's face,
No one can say he fears but, when he turns
AUDLEY.
Perhaps you think the Prince too
is
afraid
POETICAL SKETCHES
25
DAGWORTH.
No
God
forbid
am
sure he
is
not.
AUDLEY.
Are you
I
believe that as
much
afraid
Thomas
as
believe
DAGWORTH.
Of having my back laid open we turn
Our backs to the fire, till we shall burn our
;
skirts.
AUDLEY.
And
this, Sir
Is of
He
I
Thomas, you
call fear
Your
fear
do not think.
Sir
John Chandos.
Enter Sir
CHANDOS.
Good-morrow, Generals
Welcome
And wait
DAGWORTH.
I
hope
so.
Here we
stop.
BLAKE'S POEMS
26
AUDLEY.
There, Sir
Thomas
do you
DAGWORTH.
perhaps he takes it by fits.
I don't know
Why, noble Chandos, look you here
One rotten sheep spoils the whole flock
And if the bell-wether is tainted, I wish
The Prince may not catch the distemper too.
;
CHANDOS.
Distemper, Sir
I
Thomas
What
distemper
DAGWORTH.
Why, Chandos, you are a wise man,
I know you understand me
a distemper
;
in
AUDLEY.
Sir
it
DAGWORTH.
army 'tis very
And
For,
when
too.
catching,
man
Perhaps the
totters.
air of the
it
Retreats,
we
all shall
know how
to retreat
CHANDOS.
Here comes the King himself
Plainly, Sir Thomas.
tell
POETICAL SKETCHES
27
DAGWORTH.
him before, but
Has made him deaf.
his disorder
I've told
Enter
Good-morrow, Generals
Down
fails
Edward,
fie]a.
my son,
thou art
Tvlost happy, having such command
the
Were base who wer-e not fired to deeds
Above heroic, having such examples.
:
man
PRINCE.
Sire,
look
By
DAGWORTH.
Them
all
Generals.
better
make
BLAKE'S POEMS
28
KING.
joke,
The Ford.
DAGWORTH.
I
What
can Sir
(Can refuse
that
Edward
DAGWORTH.
hope your Majesty cannot refuse so great
A trifle I've gilt your cause with my best blood,
And would again, were I not forbid
By him whom I am bound to obey my hands
xAre tied up, my courage shrunk and withered,
My sinews slackened, and my voice s :arce heard
Therefore I beg I may return to England.
I
friend
DAGWORTH.
Here on the
fields of
Cressy
The wolf
is
we
are settled
POETICAL SKETCHES
The
lion flees,
and
29
The
eagle, that
at this
moment
fen.
The dog doth seize the wolf, the forester the lion,
The negro in the crevice of the rock
Doth seize the soaring eagle undone by flight,
They tame submit such the effect flight has
;
On
noble souls.
The
The
The
The
The
The
fen,
hawk
And
You
foot.
KING.
Sir
Thomas, now
Which
And
I
wisdom
And
Then go
And
to England, tell
Cressy
them how we
fight.
Philip
is
BLAKE'S POEMS
30
DAGWORTH.
Now my
am
as light
In the dairy.
For
flight,
Now my
but not
If all
my soldiers are
as pleased as you,
Then
DAGWORTH.
POETICAL SKETCHES
31
KING.
I will
If Philip
came armed
man
as thee.
And shook
[Exit
Dagworth.
CHANDOS.
That man's a hero
in his closet,
and more
Than
to the gaping
world
May
see what's
he carries windows
his,
that
all
done within.
PRINCE.
Forgive
My
The
CHANDOS.
Courage,
my
Teach man
liberty, he'll
shake
BLAKE'S POEMS
32
and hedge
Till
glory
fires his
To
all
day, in hope
rest at night.
KING.
Liberty,
1
how
my
Lead them on
'I
see thee
Thy
to battle
army, with
;
see thee
Thyself, as
we may
all
and
[Exit
King Edward.
PRINCE.
And may
Now we
And
breathe
my hopes into
I will
unburden
the burning
are posting
air,
up and down,
POETICAL SKETCHES
33
And
I see
gird the
It is
my sin
CHANDOS.
You
If I
are a
man,
my prince,
Is the effect of
field
summer
cloud, unregarded,
BLAKE'S POEMS
34
PRINCE.
Then
if
we must tug
for experience.
CHANDOS.
Considerate age,
my Lord,
views motives.
And
POETICAL SKETCHES
35
With trembling
and smell.
That sing and dance round Reason's
fine- wrought
throne,
Yet not
forlorn
if
Conscience
is
all
forlorn
his friend.
[Exeunt.
SCENE,
in Str
Thomas Dagworth's
his
Tent.
man.
DAGWORTH.
Bring hither
my
Ambition
is
armour, William.
WILLIAM.
Does
it
grow
in
England,
sir ?
DAGWORTH.
Ay,
it
grows most
in lands
most
cultivated,
WILLIAM.
the vines here
grows most in France
Are finer than any we have in England.
Then
it
DAGWORTH.
Ay, but the oaks are not.
BLAKE'S POEMS
What
I
is
ever saw
don't think
it.
DAGWORTH.
Ambition.
WILLIAM.
Is
it
little
DAGWORTH.
Thou
It is
Ambition
Has
But
is
any pursuit
don't think you have any of it.
Yes,
thing,
man
have
after glory;
sir.
DAGWORTH.
But, when our
must
all
little,
and
first
be wrong, of course
to
know
that
'tis
what
best to
follows
know
little aright.
DAGWORTH.
Though
much, yet
/ill
tell
you that
it
was ambition.
POETICAL SKETCHES
37
WILLIAM.
Then, if ambition is a sin, we are
with him, and in fighting for him.
all
guilty in
coming
DAGWORTH.
Now, William, thou dost thrust the question home
but I must tell you that, guilt being an act of the mind,
none are guilty but those whose minds are prompted
by that same ambition.
WILLIAM.
Now,
DAGWORTH.
Thou art a natural philosopher, and knowest truth
by instinct while reason runs aground, as we have
;
it
actions,
WILLIAM.
And whoever
deal of
may do
a great
it.
DAGWORTH.
Thou
art
Now
there's a story
an endless moralist.
WILLIAM.
tell
your honour,
if
come
into
you'll give
me
my
head, that
I will
leave.
DAGWORTH.
No, William, save it till another time
this is no
time for story-telling. But here comes one who is
as entertaining as a good story.
;
BLAKE'S POEMS
38
Enter
Peter Blunt.
PETER.
by and by.
And
came
to
tell
your
DAGWORTH.
And who
is this
know
PETER.
Oh
name
as Sir
with
honour, only ain't so good-natured.
DAGWORTH.
thank you, Peter, for your information, but not
There's as
for your compliment, which is not true.
much difference between him and me as between
or shining glass
glittering sand and fruitful mould
and a wrought diamond, set in rich gold, and fitted
to the finger of an Emperor
such is that worthy
I
Chandos.
PETER.
1
yourself, but
everybody
else does.
of
POETICAL SKETCHES
39
DAGWORTH.
Go, Peter, get you gone
from the
lips of
[Exit Peter.
a babbler.
never
flatter
don't
know
WILLIAM.
your honour.
DAGWORTH.
that.
WILLIAM.
Why
flattering you.
DAGWORTH.
You mean
that
SCENE,
Sir
Thomas
Sir
Dagworth. To him
Walter Manny.
Thomas Dagworth,
enter
WALTER.
die to-day.
DAGWORTH,
Sir Walter,
Tent.
Why, brave
[Exeunt.
Thomas Dagworth's
sir
Sir
you
or I
may fall.
Sir
BLAKE'S POEMS
40
SIR WALTER.
I
know
this
rot.
beds, destruction
is
Yet death
How
is terrible,
terrible
then
is
Dagworth, France
Though sunshine
is
light
it,
sick
DAGWORTH.
Thousands
of souls
must leave
this prison-house.
POETICAL SKETCHES
41
And
those that
victory.
SIR WALTER.
I've often seen the burning field of war,
And
But never,
Has my
till
this fatal
day
of Cressy,
DAGWORTH.
Stop, brave Sir Walter
Then
let
let
me drop
a tear.
fight
I'll
smile.
BLAKE'S POEMS
42
And
rattling guns,
Shall be
no more.
SIR
WALTER.
drum beat
Let war stain the blue heavens with bloody banners
I'll draw my sword, nor ever sheathe it up
Well, let the trumpet sound, and the
Till
Or
SCENE, In
the
Camp.
Whose
field,
They landed
Of Albion
POETICAL SKETCHES
43
Rain
fire
The smoking
upon the
Oh how
shore,
have they
Defied the storm that howled o'er their heads
Our fathers, sweating, lean on their spears, and view
The mighty dead giant bodies streaming blood,
Dread visages frowning in silent death.
Spoiled of their verdure.
oft
sit
BLAKE'S POEMS
44
Crave to be heard
Shall laugh,
ful-
ness.
cliffs
of Albion,
SONGS OF INNOCENCE.
SONGS OF INNOCENCE.
INTRODUCTION.
Piping down the valleys wild.
Piping songs of pleasant glee.
"
Drop thy
hear.
child
may joy
to hear.
BLAKE'S POEMS
48
THE SHEPHERD.
How sweet
From
the
is
morn
He shall follow
And his tongue
with praise.
To
On
shall be seen
Among
When we
all
girls
and boys^-
On
SONGS OF INNOCENCE
49
weary.
can be merry
The sun does descend,
And our sports have an end.
Round the laps of their mothers
Till the little ones,
No more
Many
sisters
and brothers.
THE LAMB.
Little lamb, who made thee ?
Dost thou know who made thee,
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed
By the stream and o'er the mead
of delight,
who made
thee
I'll tell
thee
Little lamb,
I'll tell
thee
He became
I
little child.
We
are called
by
his
God
Iamb, God
name.
Little lamb,
bless thee
Little
bless thee
BLAKE'S POEMS
so
bore
me
southern wild,
soul is white
White as an angel is the English child,
But I am black, as if bereaved of light.
And
am
My mother
in the
black, but
taught
O my
me underneath
a tree,
"
Look on
Comfort
in
there
God does
live,
light,
"
like a
shady grove.
Saying,
the grove,
'
Thus did
my mother say,
tent like
my love
lambs
and
rejoice.'
till
he can bear
care.
"
SONGS OF INNOCENCE
51
THE BLOSSOM.
Merry, merry sparrow
Under leaves so green
A happy blossom
Sees you, swift as arrow,
solDbing. sobbing,
Near
my
bosom.
THE CHIMNEY-SWEEPER.
When my mother died I was very young,
And my father sold me while yet my tongue
Could scarcely cry " Weep weep weep weep
So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.
!
There's
little
Tom
Dacre,
who
cried
when
'*
!
his head.
bare.
You know
And
BLAKE'S POEMS
52
run
And
And
so
Tom
Though
the
warm
So,
in the dark.
if all
morning was
cold,
do
LOST.
and
little
boy.
SONGS OF INNOCENCE
He kissed the child, and by the hand
And to his mother brought,
Who in sorrow
Her
little
pale,
53
led,
LAUGHING SONG.
When
And
the green
the
hill
of joy.
it
lively green,
merry scene
their sweet
When
Ha ha he
"
I
Where our
and nuts
spread
is
A CRADLE SONG.
Sweet dreams, form a shade
O'er
Hover
o'er
my happy child
BLAKE'S POEMS
54
smiles,
moans
beguiles.
happy child
and smiled.
Sleep, sleep, happy sleep.
While o'er thee thy mother weep.
Sleep, sleep,
Wept
for
me,
all.
When He was
an infant small.
Thou His image ever see,
Heavenly face that smiles on thee
own
smile?
to peace beguiles,
And
Pity, Peace,
pray
and Love,
in their distress.
Return
their thankfulness.
SONGS OF INNOCENCE
55
human face
And Love, the human form divine
And Peace, the human dress.
Pity, a
of every clime,
in his distress.
And
all
There God
is
dwelling too.
HOLY THURSDAY.
'TwAS on a holy Thursday, their innocent faces clean,
The children walking two and two, in red, and blue, and
green
dome
Thames
waters flow.
O what
don town
Seated in companies they
!
own.
sit,
with radiance
all
their
BLAKE'S POEMS
56
was
lambs,
Tliousands of
little
boys and
innocent
hands.
Now
like a
raise to
of song,
Or
like
among
of heaven
Beneath them
sit
poor,
lest
door.
NIGHT.
The sun descending
in the
West,
With
Sits
silent delight,
night.
SONGS OF INNOCENCE
They look in every thoughtless nest
Where birds are covered warm
They visit caves of every beast,
To keep them all from harm
;
And
When
They
weep
most heedful,
And
ruddy eye3
day.
Graze after
For,
thee,
washed
and weep.
in life's river.
My bright mane
for ever
As
58
BLAKE'S POEMS
SPRING.
Sound
the flute
Birds delight,
Day and
night.
Nightingale,
In the dale,
Lark
in sky,
Merrily,
Merrily, merrily to
welcome
in the year.
Little boy,
Full of joy.
Little
girl,
Infant noise
Merrily, merrily
we welcome
in the year.
Little lamb.
Here
am
Come and
lick
My white neck
Let
Your
Let
soft w^ool
me kiss
Merrily, merrily
me pull
in the year.
SONGS OF INNOCENCE
59
NURSE'S SONG.
When
And
My heart is
And
And we cannot go
it is
to sleep
yet day.
;
And
And
all
fly.
hills
all
echoed.
INFANT JOY.
"
have no name
"
I happy am,
Joy is my name."
Sweet joy befall thee
BLAKE'S POEMS
Pretty joy
old.
Thou
I
dost smile,
Sweet joy
befall thee
A DREAM.
Once
O'er
my angel-guarded
bed,
lay.
O my children
do they cry,
they hear their father sigh ?
Now they look abroad to see,
Now return and weep for me.**
*'
Do
Pitying,
But
dropped a tear
saw a glow-worm
Who replied,
Calls the
*'
am
"
What
watchman
near.
wailing wight
of the night
home "
1
SONGS OF INNOCENCE
ON ANOTHER'S SORROW.
Can
And
I see
Can
And
Can
I see
And
not
feel
another's woe,
not be in sorrow too
falling tear,
my sorrow's
share
filled
An
sit
and hear
smiles on
all
And
not
sit
And
not
sit
Weeping
tear
on infant's tear
And
He
He
He
He
it
be
\
BLAKE'S POEMS
62
is
not by
And
thy Maker
O He
tear.
not near.
That our
Till
is
weep a
grief
He doth
sit
He may
destroy
and gone
by us and moan
our grief
is fled
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE.
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE.
INTRODUCTION.
Hear
Who present,
Whose
past,
and
future, sees
trees
starry pole.
And
"
Earth,
And
renew
Earth, return
Night
is
worn.
the
morn
dewy
grass
Why wilt
given thee
till
BLAKE'S POEMS
66
EARTH'S ANSWER.
Earth raised up her head
From the darkness dread and
Her
drear.
light fled,
Stony, dread,
And
Weeping
my den
o'er,
*'
Selfish father of
men
Can
Chained
The
**
delight,
in night,
virgins of
its joy,
blossoms grow
in
darkness plough
Selfish, vain,
Eternal bane,
That
free love
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
67
itself to please.
And
HOLY THURSDAY.
Is this a holy thing to see
Can
it
winter there.
BLAKE'S POEMS
68
And
fall.
LOST.
In futurity
I
prophesy
sleep
Where
sleep
your
little child.
sleep
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
"
If
Then
If
let
Lyca wake
my mother sleep,
Lyca
shall not
weep.
The kingly
And
lion stood,
Leopards,
Round
tigers,
play
Bowed
his
mane
of gold.
69
BLAKE'S POEMS
JO
the night in
woe
Lyca's parents go
Arm
They traced
Among shadows
And dream
deep,
go.
way
lay.
couching lion
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
Smelling to his prey
But
When
And
silent
by them stands.
his eyes,
And wondering
A spirit
On
On
his
armed
in gold.
head a crown,
his shoulders
*'
Follow
**
Weep
down
'
me ",
hair.
care.
he said
lies
deep,
asleep."
Among
tigers wild.
To
this
my palace
Lyca
behold
In
71
In a lonely
child
dell,
THE CHIMNEY-SWEEPER.
A LITTLE black thing among the snow,
Crying " weep weep " in notes of woe
" Where are thy father and mother ?
Say '*
" They are both gone up to the church to pray.
!
BLAKE'S POEMS
72
"
Because
And
smiled
among
NURSE'S SONG.
When
And
The days
My
of
my youth
rise fresh in
and
my mind.
pale.
And your
Rose, thou
The
That
art sick
invisible
(lies
worm.
in the night,
And
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
73
THE FLY.
Little Fly,
Thy summer's play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away.
Am
not
A fly like
Or
thee
art not
A man
thou
me
like
For
And
and sing,
some blind hand
Till
dance,
drink,
my wing.
Shall brush
If
thought
And
And
is life
want
Of thought
Then am
A happy
is
death
I
fly.
If I live,
Or
if I
die.
THE ANGEL.
What can
I DREAMT a dream
And that I was a maiden Queen
!
it
mean
BLAKE'S POEMS
And
And
And
And
he wiped
my
tears
away
So he took
his wings,
and
fled
THE TIGER.
Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night.
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry
And what
What
the
hammer
What
Dare
the anvil
its
what dread
grasj)
?
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
When
down
7$
their spears
or eye
fearful
symmetry
MY PRETTY ROSE
TREE.
to me,
Such a flower as May never bore
But I said, " I've a pretty rose tree,"
;
And
Then
went
To tend
But
my pretty rose
tree.
her
my rose
And
to
o'er.
my
only delight.
AH, SUNFLOWER.
Ah, Sunflower, weary of time.
Who
Where
And
the
desire,
Where
my Sunflower wishes
to go
BLAKE'S POEMS
76
THE
The modest Rose
LILY.
stain her
beauty bright.
Such usage
in
is
cold
warm^
But,
if
And
a pleasant
at the
is
fire
ale.
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
77
birch.
And God,
barrel,
But
kiss him,
LONDON.
I
WANDER through
each chartered
street,
A mark in
Marks
every face
of weakness,
flow,
meet,
marks
of woe.
n:;an.
How
hear
And
Runs
How
streets
hear
BLAKE'S POEMS
78
If all
And mutual
Till
Then Cruelty
And
He
knits a snare,
sits
fears,
And
Underneath
his foot.
its
thickest shade.
But
their search
was
this tree.
all
in vain
human
Brain.
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
79
INFANT SORROW
My
mother groaned,
my
father
wept
my father's hands.
my swaddling bands.
Striving against
A POISON TREE
my friend
my wrath did end.
was angry with my foe
told it not, my wrath did grow.
told
I
I
my
wrath,
And
I watered it in fears
Night and morning with my tears.
And I sunned it with smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And
it
Till it
And
into
When
my garden
the night
had
stole
tree.
BLAKE'S POEMS
8o
Nought
loves another as
itself,
The
Priest sat
child
care.
" Lo,
what a
fiend
is
here
" said he
before
in vain.
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
A LITTLE GIRL LOST
Children
Reading
delight.
pair.
Met
garden bright
in
Where
Had
just
of the night
On
And
They agree
When
to
meet
n LAKE'S
S2
"
To thy
O
O
POEMS
the
trembUng
fear
=;
of
my
hoary hair
A DIVINE IMAGE.
Cruelty has a human heart,
And Jealousy a human face
Terror the
A CRADLE SONG
Sleep, sleep, beauty bright.
Dreaming
in the
joys of night
thy sleep
Little sorrows sit and weep.
Sleep, sleep
Sweet babe,
Soft desires
in
thy face
can trace,
in
I
As thy
softest limbs
I feel,
Where thy
little
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
O
83
In thy
When
Then
little
heart asleep
THE SCHOOLBOY.
I
LOVE
to rise in a
When
The
distant
And
huntsman winds
O what
But
summer morn,
sweet
company
his horn.
me
summer morn.
away
to go to school in a
it
drives
all
joy
Worn through
How can
Sit in a cage
How can
when
is
and sing
a child
But droop
And
fears annoy,
BLAKE'S POEMS
84
if
Of
By
How shall
the
summer
arise in joy,
When
TO TTRZAH.
Whate'er
is
Thou, mother of
With
And with
Didst
my mortal part.
mould my heart,
cruelty didst
blintl
Didst close
And me
my nostrils,
my
tongue
to mortal
life
eyes,
and
ears.
in senseless clay.
betray.
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
8$
How many
led.
*'
I slept in
murmured my thoughts.
And I felt delight.
BLAKE'S POEMS
90
"In
AUGURIES OF INNOCENCE.
To see the world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower
;
Uokl
palm of your
an hour.
infinity in the
And
eternity in
YOUNG
liand.
LOVE.
Pluck
THE BIRDS.
Where
91
SHE.
And
evening winds
my sorrow
bear.
HE.
Each day
And
moan
for thee
my sorrows loud.
HE.
92
"
P, I.
O what
POEMS
A HE'S
What
are
land
its
its
streams
when
"
Dear child
Have wandered
also
all
"
by pleasant streams
warm
" Father,
father
what do we
here.
?
TO MR. BUTTS.
To my
friend Butts
My first
On
write
vision of light.
From
Over
over land,
My eyes did
expand
Into regions of
air.
Away
care
from
all
Into regions of
Remote from
fire.
desire
The
jewels of light
Amazed and
I
in fear
Astonished, amazed
Remote by
the sea.
"
93
BLAKE'S POEMS
04
Till
My
bright,
limbs to enfold
consumed
in delight,
remained.
And
On
On
gulf.
And
remained as a child
All I ever had known,
Before me bright shone
I saw you and your wife
1
By
the fountains of
life.
Such a vision to me
Appeared on the sea.
MY DEAR FRIEND,
rO
MRS.
95
ANNA FLAXMAN.
To
Away
to sweet
The ladder
On
for
heaven
is
there,
the turret
Through the
You
Felpham,
its spiral
my cot
it
does end.
on flight seventy-seven
And my brother is there and my friend and thine
Descend and ascend with the bread and the wine.
glitter
The bread
Feed the
And
of sweet
village of
at his
own door
Dispensing, unceasing, to
all
THE PILGRIM
Phcebe dressed
Sitting
all
Where
the
beneath a grot.
little lambkins
Maidens dancing
trot.
lovers sporting
BLAKE'S POEMS
96
Happy
people,
In happiness
who can
compared
be
to ye
and
his crook
luit,
PROVERBS.
A Robin Redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage
A dove-house filled with doves and pigeons
Shudders hell through all its regions.
A dog starved at his master's gate
;
He who
wren
by men
wrath has moved
He who
the ox to
Shall never be
He who
by woman loved
war
that
kills
the fly
He who
sprite.
fight
night.
And
moth nor
butterfly,
last
The gnat
The
Came from
known
97
BLAKE'S POEMS
98
When
Do
heavens tear
and beggar's rags
Are toadstools on the miser's bags.
to rags the
The
prince's robes
if
The
harlot's cry
from
street to street
He who mocks
Shall be
mocked
He who
The
in age
and death
doubt
;
He who
to
words of doubt
doubt a
Is to
The
fit
reply.
Some
Some
Some
Some
fine,
is
right
it
should be so
and woe
we rightly know.
for joy
We are led
When we
to believe a lie
When
go.
beams
of hght.
99
BLAKE'S POEMS
TOO
of Paradise,
the stones of
fire.
O
You
Christians
rear
it
Christians
on your
tell
altars high
me why
caterpillar
Reminds thee
on the
leaf
My Eternal Man
set in repose,
darkness rose ;
beneath a tree,
A mandrake, and in her veil hid me.
Serpent reasonings us entice
Of good and evil, virtue, vice.
Poubt self-jealous, watery folly,
And
she found
me
his
Naked
in air, in
shame and
fear,
is
self-contradiction,
A dark hermaphrodite
stood,
Round
her,
One
One
dies
alas
is slain,
and one
is
fled
My son my son
thou treatest me
have instructed thee.
On the shadows of the moon.
Climbing through night's highest noon
In Time's ocean falling, drowned
In aged ignorance profound,
Holy and cold, I clipped the wings
Of all sublunary things
And in depths of icy dungeons
Closed the father and the sons.
!
But
as I
But,
when once
did descry
die.
BLAKE'S POEMS
102
my mother,
sister,
Weaving
from the
daughter, to the
womb
tomb
Epilogue,
to the accuser,
Truly,
my Satan,
who
is
A SONG OF SORROW.
Leave, O leave me to my sorrow.
Here I'll sit and fade away
I'm nothing but a spirit.
I love this form of clay.
Then if chance along this forest
Any walk in pathless ways,
Through the gloom he'll see my shadow.
Till
And
Hear
my voice upon
the breeze.
IN A
MYRTLE SHADE.
To
To any
tree that
grows on ground.
to faults
Always
is
is
always blind.
to joy inclined,
And
breaks
The
souls of
all
men
are bought
and sold
led
103
BLAKE'S POEMS
I04
"
This
I,
the throne of
is
took
it
Mammon
grey."
very odd,
God.
to be the throne of
Everything
It's
is
Away away
only riches
can crave.
all
He
"
He
says,
I shall
But
is
known by
must be
if I
its steeple.
You must
God
please."
IDEAS OF GOOD AND EVIL
May
it
deep
core.
And
alone,
It only
And when
it
once
is
There's an end to
smiled,
all
misery.
BLAKE'S POEMS
I06
Why should
joys be sweet
HEARD an
When
angel singing,
was springing
" Mercy, pity, and peace,
the day
release."
And haycocks
I
looked brown.
IDEAS OF GOOD AND EVIL
And
more could be
were happy as ye
mutual fear brings peace.
pity no
If all
And
107
Misery's increase
Are mercy,
At
pity, peace."
And
THAMES AND
OHIO.
Though born on the cheating banks of ThamesThough his waters bathed my infant limbs
The Ohio shall wash his stains from me ;
I was born a slave, but I go to be free.
SAW
a chapel
all
of gold
Till
down
BLAKE'S POEMS
ro8
And
upon the
Vomited
altar white
On
So
And
me down among
laid
the swine.
SCOFFERS.
Mock
And every
stone becomes a
gem
beams divine
Blown back, they blind the mocking eye.
But still in Israel's paths they shine.
Reflected in the
The atoms
of
Democritus
And Newton's
particles of light
109
"
My children shall
SEE,
"
A hollow groan
"
this
hand
to write
He
told
me
The bane
"
that
My brother
all I
of all that
My
"
chain
bent body mocks at their torturing pain.
Thy
father
drew
his
sword
in the North,
Alone can
free the
The hand
of
To which
The
forth.
BLAKE'S POEMS
Until the tyrant himself relent,
first
black
bow
bent,
But the
tear of love
is
And
And
every
wound
And
And
Is
a sigh
is
it
has
made
shall heal.
an intellectual thing.
King
woe
is
my vision's
greatest enemy.
all Mankind,
Mine speaks in Parables to the blind.
Thine loves the same world that mine
Thine
is
the Friend of
Thy heaven-doors
are
And Caiaphas
A benefactor
was, in his
to
curse.
own mind,
mankind.
Was
hates.
my hell-gates.
white.
He
ii
He who
heart,'
glutton's trap.
And this is
He did not
Poor
spiritual
He had
BLAKE'S POEMS
And at last Me would have been Ca:>sar himself
And thus the Gospel St. Isaac confutes,
" God is only known by His attributes.
And as for the indwelling of the Holy Ghost,
Or Christ and His Father, it's all a boast,
Or pride and fallacy of the imagination.
That disdains to follow this world's fashion,"
To teach doubt and experiment,
Certainly was not what Christ meant.
What was He
From
doing
all
that time
manly prime
Was He
in scorn
Gone sneaking
And
into synagogues.
is
Humble
Even
to
God,
cruel rod.
Thou
Thou
Awake,
And Thy
of
woman
born,
When
And
the soul
fell
into sleep,
This
life's five
windows
of the soul
And
When you
When
lie,
cried
113
BLAKE'S POEMS
114
Satan gloried
"
Come",
I'll
soon see
John
in his pride.
"
said Satan,
if
You
come away,
obey.
Caiaphas
You
will
obey.
And
Ye
Became
a chariot of
And
ire.
fire.
He
He
He
in
And
Was
He
115
BLAKE'S POEMS
ii6
Sinai's
And
With
Still
its soul.
And
And
You
You
away My trembling
bow before her feet
driven
shall
meet.
dove.
117
this,
When
first I let
the devils
my sin.
in.
And
rise.
An
his prey,
ever-devouring-appetite
venoms bright,
" Crucify this cause
of
Saying,
distress.
BLAKE'S POEMS
But He
Whom God
He
hath
dumb, the
blind,
calls
them
friends.'
pride.
Was
With narrow
soul
He
If
A body subject
From
to be tempted,
He
never
fell.
And
And
sins,
IDEAS OF GOOD AND EVIL
Poured around from star to
ii0
star,
Where
He
the devil
combs
his lice.
to dine
'
'
And mocked
am
do
BLAKE'S POEMS
t2c
TO OLD NOBODADDY.
Why art
BARREN BLOSSOM.
I
FEARED
the fury of
my wind
Was
For
all
true.
fair or true
Fruitless, false,
though
fair to see.
OPPORTUNrrY.
He who bends to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy
But he who kisses the joy as
it flies
The
But,
You
it's ripe,
wipe
once you let the ripe moment go.
can never wipe off the tears of woe.
tears of repentance you'll certainly
if
seek to
thy love,
tell
Silently, invisibly.
I told
my love,
I told
her
all
I told my love,
my heart,
Ah
Soon
traveller
came
Silently, invisibl)'
He
fears.
by,
ASKED a
He
I
thief to steal
me
a peach
asked a
lithe
lady to
lie
her
cries.
As soon as I went,
An Angel came.
He winked at the thief.
And
smiled at the
dame
down
BLAKE'S POEMS
CTTPID.
He
can
girl,
see.
And
to
Was
make Cupid
surely a
a boy
woman's plan,
of his
life,
LAID
Weeping, weeping.
Then
went
to the heath
and the
wild.
IDEAS OF GOOD AND EVIL
THE GOLDEN
Beneath
NET.
alas for
woe "
!
my eyes.
And
And
in unsatisfied desire,
and day
melted all my soul away.
When they saw my tears, a smile
That did heaven itself beguile
Bore the golden net aloft.
in tears clothed night
It
when
123
will the
morning
rise
BLAKE'S POEMS
124
in the wild,
Slie
put
This cabinet
is
key.
formed of gold,
like herself.
A threefold smile
O, what a smile
Filled me that like a flame I burned
!
And found
I
Just as
And,
if
the babe
is
He's given to a
Who nails
born a boy,
woman
old,
rock,
Her
fingers
number every
nerve.
She
lives
And
Till
upon
his shrieks
she grows
young
and
cries,
as he grows old.
And
He
plants himself in
Just as a
all
her nerves.
husbandman
his
mould,
125
BLAKE'S POEMS
126
he fades,
gems
of the
human
soul,
He
To
His grief
is
They make
Till
from the
A Uttle
his
hand
He wanders weeping
far
away,
127
The
alters all
stars, sun,
moon,
all
shrink
away
smile.
Her
fear plants
flies
away
many
a thicket wild.
While he pursues her night and day
By various art of love beguiled ;
By various
arts of love
and
hate.
Where roam
BLAKE'S POEMS
128
Till
To
Till
But,
when they
find the
frowning babe,
They cry
And
flee
away on every
is
born
side.
form
incessantly for
my sin.
He
rain.
When
5-
129
BLAKE'S POEMS
I30
6.
my couch with
torches bright.
7.
And
my bed
my mournful head.
My
all
transgressions, great
and
small.
8.
When
My loves,
When
When
and view
renew
thou return and live ?
and them to
wilt
life
forgive
9.
return.
victory
burn.
I'll
I'll
have,
be thy grave.
10.
"
Till I
And
root
I shall
To
up the
infernal grove
never worthy be
Hell-
And
To be
to
subservient to
my fate.
13.
And throughout
I forgive
all
Eternity
WILLIAM BOND
WONDER whether the girls are mad.
And I wonder whether they mean to kill,
And I wonder if William Bond will die.
For assuredly he
is
very
ill.
He went
And
he returned
home
in misery.
And took
to his bed,
131
BLAKE'S POEMS
132
cloud
" O, William,
*'
Yes, Mary,
Another
And another
do another
love.
But she
is
floor,
133
And
"
But
Love
is
With
MARY.
Sweet Mary, the first time she ever was there.
Came into the ball-room among the fair
The young men and maidens around her throng.
And these are the words upon every tongue
;
"
An
angel
is
care.
BLAKE'S POEMS
134
night,
Her
lilies
" O,
why was
then set
me down
in
an envious land
But,
if
you
raise envy,
I will
I will
street
in the
morning
in the
IDEAS OF GOOD AND EVIL
135
And
And
And
is
thine
is
this
many
Mayors
To
sit in
state
chairs,
With
face as
brown
as
of strong
ale
With
a
then
scarlet
did not
fail.
make
With stockings
black as
it
jet
rolled
above
their knees,
and shoes
as
beer,
ten.
hall to eat
ale
Good English
hospitality,
then
it
did not
fail.
BLAKE'S POEMS
136
hills
And
With
And
trees
little
and
mounts and
sings
devils
who
Remembering the
Hayley
verses that
sun;^
my
With
And
my way,
With
And my
And my
They
With a thousand
angels
tears.
;)
To drive them
off,
and before my
way
Fills
me
full of
smiles or tears
tongue
137
Thou
upon a bier
what Fuseli gave,
dark black rock and a gloomy cave."
And Butts
A
I
shall give
my foot,
And
all
The
And
make me
afraid.'*
in my double sight,
'Twas outward a sun, inward, Los in his might,
" My hands are laboured day and night,
And ease comes never in my sight.
My wife has no indulgence given,
Except what comes to her from heaven.
;
BLAKE'S POEMS
138
We eat
When
my defiance
had
given,
And every
soul of
Felt affliction
man on
the earth
My
Now
And
a fourfold vision
a fourfold vision
'Tis fourfold in
is
see,
given to me.
my supreme delight,
thought
139
The door
But,
when
And
The
To
The
visions that
my soul
has seen,
my wings I wave,
The blossoms
of eternal
life.
strife
sweet,
BLAKE'S POEAIS
X40
The caverus
And
these
Whom
of Hell
shall I dare to
view,
show them
to
form
Shall dauntless view the infernal storm
Egreraont's Countess can control
The flames of hell that round me roll.
If she refuse, I still go on.
Till the heavens and earth are gone ;
Still admired by noble minds,
Followed by Envy on the winds.
Re-engraved time after time,
Ever in their youthful prime.
My designs unchanged remain
Time may rage, but rage in vain
For above Time's troubled fountains.
On the great Atlantic mountains.
In my golden house on high.
There they hide eternally.
in beauty's
WALKED abroad on
wooed the
soft
a snowy day,
snow with me to
And
it
play,
in all her
prime
a dreadful crime.
2.
What
is it
men
in
women do
require
3-
The look
Because
of love alarms,
'tis filled
with
fire
of soft deceit
To
Chloe's breast
But he crept
in at
stc!e,
Myra's pocket-hole.
141
BLAKE'S POEMS
142
6.
7.
8.
9.
The
man make
your rule,
Kather than the perfections of a fool.
errors of a wise
lO.
work of a fool,
For it's sure to keep your judgment cool
It does not reproach you with want of wit
It is
the
He's a blockhead
who wants
a proof of
what he
can't
perceive,
And
he's a fool
believe.
who
tries to
IDEAS OF GOOD AND EVIL
If e'er I
grow to man's
143
estate,
Have
small.
13.
woman
She
wiles
will not
14.
Her whole
life
is
an epigram
smack,
smooth, and
nobly penned,
Plaited quite neat to catch applause, with a strong
15.
at
my birth
16.
At a
foe.
But
I
all
find
them the
glow,
BLAKE'S POEMS
144
17.
By
Here
He
in
everybody's way.
19.
Of
lot
will.
But now
of all
the western
his eyes
in death.
They stood
and
Of aged
might hear
in their
gates.
Come
forth
Come
Come,
you accursed sons.
In my weak arms I here have borne your dying mother
come
forth
see the
death of Myratana."
His sons ran from their gates, and saw their aged
parents stand
And thus the eldest son of Tiriel raised his mighty
;
voice
147
BLAKE'S POEMS
148
"
man unworthy
Old
race
of those
grey hairs.
Why should
man
for
Were we not
slaves
we
till
rebelled
Who
cares
may
be a
his right
hand
his curse
blessing."
He
ceased.
to the heavens
His
raised
up
left
death.
The orbs
and thus
his
Ye worms
of death, feasting
flesh.
Listen,
No more
accursed sons
she groans not at the birth of Heuxos or
She bears
Yuva.
These are the groans of death, ye serpents! these are
the groans of death
Nourished with milk, ye serpents, nourished with
mother's tears and cares
;
Look
at
my
stones
among
the
my
at
listen
bald
spirit
listen,
ye serpents,
Myratana
What,
Hark,
head.
149
What,
fire
What, Myratana,
serpents, look
my
wife
soul
art
thou
dead
Look
here,
ye
here
I will
"
!
a grave.
" Old cruelty, desist, and let us dig a grave for thee.
Thou hast refused our charity, thou hast refused our
food,
Thou
thy dwelling,
Choosing to wander like a son of Zazel in the rocks.
Why dost thou curse ? Is not the curse now come
upon thine head ?
Was it not thou enslaved the sons of Zazel ? and they
for
have cursed,
feel'st
it
let
us
and
may
the
cast out.
BLAKE'S POEMS
ISO
The
man and
beast,
Till
No
memorial.
your remembrance shall perish
for,
for a
when your
carcases
And
not a bone of
all
curse of
Tiriel."
He
ceased,
and darkling
his pathless
o'er
way.
2.
The sun he
felt,
night.
a use-
less globe.
all
woe
led
the blind
him
to
the
vales of Har.
like
two
the oak.
And
151
gar-
dens of Har,
They ran weeping, like frighted infants, for refuge in
Mnetha's arms.
" Peace to
The Wind man felt his way, and cried
these open doors
Let no one fear, for poor blind Tiriel hurts none but
:
himself.
me,
Tell
in
" This
the valley of
is
am
where
friends,
Har",
and
now,
"
said Mnetha, "
and
this
Who
of Tiriel
on thee
King
Tiriel is
this
"
is
my
by
know
Who
am Mnetha
And
art thou
like
infants
side."
Tiriel is
King
of the West,
and there he
lives in joy.
No
matter who
am,
Mnetha
If
food.
Give
it
me, for
cannot stay,
my journey
is
far
from
hence."
" O my mother Mnetha, venture
said
not so near him.
For he is the king of rotten wood, and of the bones
of death
He wanders without eyes, and passes through thick
Then Har
walls
Thou
and doors.
less
man."
my
mother Mnetha,
thou eye-
BLAKE'S POEMS
152
"
cast
wanderer,
man."
He
And
down.
kneeled
He is an
rise
Mnetha
said
" Come,
Then Har
arose,
and
laid his
Tiriel's
head.
"
God
Heva, come kiss his bald head, for he will not hurt
us, Heva."
Then Heva came, and took old Tiriel in her mother's
arms.
" Bless thy poor eyes, old man, and bless the old
father of Tiriel
Thou
my
art
thy wrinkles,
Because thou smellest like the
know
fig-tree,
thee through
thou smellest
How
old
Tiriel
Bless
Mnetha
said
of thy
Why
shouldst
thine
"
Come
in,
aged wanderer
tell
us
name.
own
thou conceal
"
?
flesh
thyself
irom those of
"
153
Far
North
in the
And
destroyed.
all
I their
all:
Ask me no more,
my
precious sight."
"
Lord
"
said
there then
"No
more", said
globe
And
Are
Tiriel,
"but
I,
remain on
all this
remain an outcast.
drink
tremble
more people,
"
?
fruits,
and they
sat
They
"
and
sat
Thou
ate,
man, but
am
Tiriel.
older than
thou.
How came
My
hair
is
very long,
how came
my
all
my
breast.
God
thy face
Would puzzle Mnetha.
"
Tiriel
To count
the wrinkles
in
BLAKE'S POEMS
154
" Tiriel
ate
sat with
him and
He was
as cheerful as a prince,
tainment.
But long
to
"
What
am
forced
wander."
!
"
Thou
"
If
My
thou dost go ", said Har, " I wish thine eyes may
see thy folly.
sons have left me.
Did thine leave thee ? O
'twas very cruel "
said Tiriel,
things,
away."
"
shalt not go ", said Heva, " till thou hast seen
our singing-birds,
And heard Har sing in the great cage, and slept upon
our fleeces.
Thou
Go
head.
Then
is
it
summer
heat."
up from the
Tiriel rose
seat,
and
said
"
God
155
not in pleasant
must not
madness and
dismay."
And Mnetha
said
dark alone,
But dwell with
us,
"
and
let
wander
to
us be to thee instead of
eyes,
And
I will
Then
Tiriel
till
death shall
hence."
call thee
and answered
frowned,
command you
" Did
not
saying.
"
him
to
the tent-door,
And gave
to
him
his staff,
He went
on his way.
BLAKE'S POEMS
IS6
4.
way
hills
the blind
man
To him the day and night alike was dark and desolate.
But far he had not gone when Ijim from his woods
came down,
Met him at entrance of the forest, in a dark and lonely
way.
"
Who
dark Tjim
Thou
thy feeble
joints,
enough
Stand from
thou tempter of
know
thee well
my
thy deceits
To be a
gar
The
hypocrite,
"
man
blind
down on
"
and stand
in
his knee.
if it is
Tiriel,
on
'Tis
thine.
now
beheld thy
face."
know
To smite
policy
discern thee,
and
157
tongue.
Come,
I will
scoff."
"
Kiss me,
my
desolate
brother,
"
to
wander
will lead
thee
want to go ?
Reply not, lest I bind thee with the green
brook
Ay, now thou art discovered,
dost thou
flags of the
slave."
When
Tiriel
to reply
He knew
together, over
hills,
through woody
dales.
All
his travel.
"
Ijim, I
am
To bear me
faint
further.
and weary,
Urge me
for
my
knees forbid
with travel.
little rest I
Or
I shall
And
how
faint I
am
"
!
BLAKE'S POEMS
153
"
Impudent
fiend
eloquent tongue
" hold
Tiriel is
Drink of
my
shoulders."
He drank
his shoulders.
All
and,
solemn curtain.
Entered the gates of
Tiriel's palace,
called aloud.
" Heuxos,
come
forth
here
have brought
the
Look
"
?
voice.
And saw
their
his
mighty
shoulders.
bowed and
" What,
Heuxos
silent stood.
call
mean
to sport
to-night.
This
is
lion
Then
have rent
his limbs,
and
left
him
rotting in
the forest
For birds to
the place
eat.
But
159
But soon
Then
like
ears
Or
like
my
a rock stood in
my
way, or
poisonous
like a
shrub.
At
last I
old,
And
Tiriel
raised
his
silver voice.
" Serpents,
not
sons,
why do you
stand
Fetch
hither Tiriel,
"
!
of Tiriel ran
around
tlieir
father,
Confounded at the
knew
terrible strength of
'twas vain,
Ijim.
They
BLAKE'S POEMS
i6o
of
iron mail.
When
Then
this true
It is
Thou
lie,
and
eyeless
Tiriel's
It is
am
house
by the wind,
and you dissemblers
Is
fiend
this
his
lift
hand against
ye."
his back,
and
silent
sought
The
secret forests,
and
all
ways.
5-
And aged
Tiriel stood
and said
"
Where does
thunder sleep ?
Where doth he hide his terrible head
Earth, thus
from
To
raise
their
fiery
the
and
his s^vift
wings,
and the
his den.
his
cleaving ground,
Let his
dogs
fiery
Rise from
the centre,
dark smoke
Where
i6i
and
standing lakes ?
Raise up thy sluggish limbs, and
the loathsomest
let
of poisons
Here take
with dead
And
sit
wrapped
as thou walkest,
wide court
let it
be strewn
Thunder, and
"
curse
He
ceased.
rolled
round
Discharging
their
enormous voices
the
at
father's
curse.
fires
clefts,
in Tiriel's palace.
His
five
daughters
ran,
And
" Ay,
now you
feel
but
may
all
ears be deaf
As
Tiriel's,
woes
and
all
BLAKE'S POEMS
62
May
may
never sun
moon
around your walls
youngest daughter, thou shalt lead me from
Hela,
my
this place
And
the curse
"
together
let
fall
on the
rest,
He
and Hela
ceased,
place.
In haste they
fled,
while
all
of Tiriel,
Chained
And
mourning
the night.
all
morning, lo
in the
an hundred men
in ghastly
death.
The
ment,
Fallen
pestilence,
guilty fears
And
all
all
silent,
by the
the
rest
moped round
in
night.
Mack
death.
And Hela
night,
Astonished,
spring.
silent,
till
the morning
beams began
to
Now
pleasure,
163
those guilty
sons.
I know it by the
is the right and ready way
sound
That our feet make. Remember, Hela, I have saved
thee from death
Then be obedient to thy father, for the curse is taken
This
off thee.
heaven,
is
past.
You
Now
lead
me where
have commanded."
"
O leagued with
True,
me from
'Twas
evil spirits,
for thyself,
slave.
eyes."
'
Is Tiriel cruel
est
is
all
daughter
the desert of
Look
his
daughter
BLAKE'S POEMS
64
Lead mc,
cruel
destroyer
I will
consumer
lead thee
command,
avenger
to
But
filled
with loving
"
my
Look on
eyes, Hela,
and
to see)
wherefore
tears swell from my stony fountains
do I weep ?
Wherefore from my blind orbs art thou not seized
The
Laugh,
for
reptile
of
the
laugh,
me
" Silence thy evil tongue, thou murderer of thy helpless children
1
Har
not that
mind thy
curse,
But that
165
terrible curses
" Hela,
my
daughter, listen
Thou
of Tiriel.
Thy
Thy
father calls.
father
lifts
his
heavens,
He
Her dark
ceased.
infolded round
of Tiriel.
"
Lead me
Shall
to
Fear'st
fail.
tains."
frighted vales.
Till to the
Forth from their caves old Zazel and his sons ran,
when they saw
Their tyrant prince blind, and his daughter howling
and leading him.
BLAKE'S POEMS
i66
some threw
dirt
and
when
But,
Tiricl
voice.
Some
away
fled
still,
gan :
" Bald
wrinkled cunning,
tyrant,
cliains
listen
to
now
are
Zazel's
thine eyes
sweet song
Where
?
;
thou singest a
Where
Zazel."
The
blind
man
Hoping
to
fled.
and,
night they wandered through the wood
when the sun arose.
They entered on the mountains of Har. At noon the
happy tents
Were frighted by the dismal cries of Hela ou the
All
mountains.
slept
167
babes on loving
fearless as
breasts.
at the tent-door,
She took
tents.
her bow,
And
And
INInetha hasted,
at
the gate of
" Stand
still, or from
winged death "
my bow
Then
Lead me
to
"
What
I
am
Tiriel,
King
of the
West."
of
Har
and Har
Har,
He
said
Thy
laws,
"
in a curse.
Why
is
A worm
The
womb
stands to form
The
BLAKE'S POEMS
lOS
ililiiculty
and
pain.
The
The
little lids
are lifted,
and the
little
nostrils
opened
And
number
Upon
footsteps
the sand.
was
Such
round him.
all
Tiriel,
am
Consuming
all
both
flowers
and
fruits,
insects
and
warbling birds.
And now my
paradise
is
fallen,
plain
He
ceased, outstretched at
awful death.
feet in
THE PROPHETIC BOOKS
169
The Daughters
sunny
in a
of
golden bowl
Seraphim
[the]
pit
led
round
their
flocks
air,
life
water
Why
!
why
smile and
Ah
Thel
is
fall
like a
like a parting
cloud,
Ah
And
!
gentle
gentle rest
my head,
the voice
Of
Him
time
BLAKE'S POEMS
I70
the
:
humble
"I am
grass,
a watery
weed,
I am very small, and love to dwell in lowly vale
So weak, the gilded butterfly scarce perches on my
And
head.
Yet
am
on
visited
from heaven
all
Walks
in the valley,
His hand,
Saying,
'
Rejoice, thou
humble
grass,
thou new-born
lily-flower,
Thou
gentle
maid
of
silent
brooks
For thou shalt be clothed
in light
ing manna,
Till
complain ?
should the mistress of the vales of Har utter a
Why
sigh
"
in tears,
then sat
down
in her
silver shrine.
Thel answered
"
thou
little
ful valley.
Thy
He
he smells
THE PROPHETIC BOOKS
Wiping
his
171
contagious
all
taints.
that springs,
But Thel
I
is
my
my
shall find
"ask the
place
"Queen
sun
who
vanish from
"
?
tender Cloud,
And
it
why
it
glitters in the
morning
sky.
And why
it
humid
air.
Descend, O
Thel."
little
head.
And went
to
the
verdant grass.
2.
"
little
to
Why
Cloud
**
charge thee
tell
Then we
away
is like
pass
me
fad' St
",
away
voice."
but not
find.
Ah
Thel
to thee
;
yet
my
BLAKE'S POEMS
172
and
form emerged
Hovering and glittering on the
his bright
air,
Thcl.
"
virgin,
golden springs
And
my
his horses
more
Look'st thou
youth,
I
vanish and
am
seen no
Nothing remains.
away,
It is to tenfold life,
maid,
thee,
tell
to love, to peace,
when
pass
and raptures
holy.
Unseen descending
balmy flowers,
And
weigh
Dew
my
to take
upon
wings
light
me
to her shining
The weeping
sun,
Till
For
httle
Cloud
fear that
am
not
of Har,
sweetest flowers,
But
little
flowers
birds,
But
and seek
their food.
But Thel
delights in these no
more
because
lade
away,
lived
Without a use
'
1/3
this shining
The Cloud
upon
thus
"
Then
woman
reclined
worms ? "
*
and answered
if
virgin of the
skies.
How
how
Every
will call
Worm
The weak
hear
Come
from
itself.
its
its voice.
Worm
forth,
queen."
The
Worm
helpless
arose,
and
sat
upon the
Lily's
leaf.
And
the vale.
3.
worm
Ah
weep
not,
an infant, wrapped
little
voice
Is this
And none
to answer,
smiles."
none
to cherish thee
with mother's
BLAKE'S POEMS
174
The Clod
Worm's
and raised
voice,
infant,
and her
life
ex-
haled
In milky fondness
eyes.
"
we
selves.
Thou
seest
My bosom
But He
and
am
indeed-
dark
that loves the lowly pours His oil upon
of itself
is
cold,
of itself
is
my
head,
And
kisses
my
breast,
And
'
away.'
But how
this
kuow
T
is,
sweet maid,
ponder, and
The Daughter
cannot ponder
of
not,
and
yet
I live
cannot
and love
know
knew not
this,
"
!
tears with
weep.
worm
evil foot
That
cherished
form
but that
He
it
oil I
weep.
And I complained in the mild
air,
because
fade away,
me
lay
175
my
shin-
ing lot."
"Queen
"
And
all
of the vales",
my
roof,
but
have called
them down.
Wilt thou,
queen, enter
my
house
'Tis
given
thee to enter.
And
to return
feet."
4.
The
bar
Thel entered
root
seen.
She wandered
through valleys
dark, listening
Dolours and
dewy
lamentations
waiting
oft
beside
grave,
She stood in
silence,
ground.
Till to
her
own
down.
And heard this voice
sat
pit.
of sorrow breathed
B LAKH'S POEMS
176
"
Why cannot
Why
its
own
destruction
affright
The Virgin
till
Har.
in the
burdened
air.
And on
Then the
perilous path
was planted,
THE PROPHETIC BOOKS
Red
paths of ease
To walk
in perilous paths,
The
man
just
Now
lions
man
the just
Where
roam.
and drive
In mild humility
And
177
its
is
fires in
the burdened
begun, and
it is
now
thirty-three
And
Swedenborg
is
air,
the deep.
tomb
his
Now is the
Adam into Para-
necessary to
From
human
existence.
good and
evil.
Good
is
Good
is
heaven.
what the
religious call
Evil
from energy.
is
hell.
following errors
BLAKE'S POEMS
178
3.
That God
will
torment
man
energy.
3. Energy is eternal delight.
Those who restrain desire, do so because theirs is
and the restrainer
weak enough to be restrained
or reason usurps its place and governs the un\villing.
And being restrained, it by degrees becomes passive,
;
The
history oi this
mand of
is
called Sin
and Death.
is
called
Satan.
For
this history
THE PROPHETIC BOOKS
Note.
The
179
when
A MEMORABLE FANCY
As
delighted
fires of hell,
airy
way
an immense world of
Is
senses five
delight,
closed
by your
"
?
PROVERBS OF HELL
In seed-time learn, in
harvest
teach,
in
winter
enjoy.
The road
Prudence
is
city.
wisdom.
by Incapa-
BLAKE'S POEMS
80
He who
desires,
Eternity
is
in love
wholesome food
is
clock,
caught without a
net
but
or
a trap.
Bring out number, weight, and measure in a year
of dearth.
No
wise.
Folly
is
Shame
pride's cloak.
The roaring
man wear
the
fell
i8i
woman
of the lion,
the fleece
of the sheep.
The
The
fool shall
man
friendship.
may
be a
rod.
What
The
roots
is
rat,
watch the
the elephant
fruits.
man
is
an image of
truth.
The eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn of the crow.
The fox provides for himself, but God provides for
the lion.
Think
He who
you.
it is
a kingly
title.
mouth of water
BLAKE'S POEMS
82
The thankful
If
so.
The
When
genius.
Lift
joys.
To
create a
Damn
The
little
flower
is
best wine
is
the oldest,
newest.
not
joys laugh
The head
sublime,
As the
air to
that everything
Exuberance
If
is
is
con-
the
owl
so
fish,
was white.
beauty.
cunning.
183
Enough
or too much.
*
sensible
all
objects
tains,
lakes,
larged
Till
a system
was formed, which some took advantage of and enslaved the vulgar by attempting to realize or abstract
the mental deities from their objects. Thus began
priesthood.
tales.
And
Thus men
things.
human
breast.
A MEMORABLE FANCY
The Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel dined with me, and
I asked them how they dared so roundly to assert that
God spoke to them, and whether they did not think
at the time that they
Isaiah answered
" I
but
my
and as
senses disI
was then
honest indignation
for consequences,
:
is
"
BLAKE'S POEMS
84
He
ages
replied
of
imagination
this
firm
it
and in
remove
does,
persuasion
mountains
taught the
first
principles of
human
perception
some
We
another.
(as
you now
call it)
was the
first principle,
and
all
the
and philosophers of other counand prophesying that all gods would at last be
proved to originate in ours, and to be the tributaries
It was this that our great poet
of the poetic genius.
King David desired so fervently, and invokes so pathetically, saying by this he conquers enemies and governs
and we so loved our God that we cursed
kingdoms
in His name all the deities of surrounding nations, and
From these opinions
asserted that they had rebelled.
the vulgar came to think that all nations would at
despising the priests
tries,
last
"
is
come
and
left side.
men
He
185
And
is
* *
*
The ancient
consumed
in fire at the
and corrupt.
come
finite
This will
pass by an
to
improvement
of
sensual enjoyment.
But
from
first
his soul is to
man
be expunged
method by
corrosives,
by
which
surfaces away,
hid.
If the
sees
all
A MEMORABLE FANCY
WAS
in
in a printing-house in hell,
which knowledge
is
to generation.
In the
first
clearing
BLAKE'S POEMS
186
within, a
feathers of air
be infinite
who
eagle-like
men,
immense cliffs.
In the fourth chamber were lions of flaming fire
raging around and melting the metals into living
built palaces in the
lluids.
In the fifth
cast
* *
*
The
giants
existence,
its life
of all activity,
but the chains are the cunning of weak and tame minds,
which have power to resist energy, according to the
proverb, " The weak in courage is strong in cunning."
to the devourer
but
it
it
is
seems as if the
not so, he only
Soma
I
or
will say,
EtnsT/er,
men."
"
" Is not
God only
God
acts -ind
his delights.
"
?
in existing beings
187
A MEMORABLE FANCY
" O pitiable foolish
Angel came to me and said
young man
O horrible, O dreadful state consider
the hot burning dungeon thou art preparing for thyself to all eternity, to which thou art going in such
An
career."
show me
and we will contemplate together upon
it, and see whether your lot or mine is most desirable."
So he took me through a stable, and through a
church, and down into the church vault, at the end of
which was a mill through the mill we went, and came
to a cave, down the winding cavern we groped our
tedious way, till a void boundless as a nether sky
appeared beneath us, and we held by the roots of trees,
" If you
and hung over this immensity but I said
please, we will commit ourselves to this void, and see
whether Providence is here also
if you will not, I
" Do not presume, O young
will." But he answered
man but as we here remain, behold thy lot, which
will soon appear when the darkness passes away."
So I remained with him sitting in the twisted root of
I
said
my eternal lot,
BLAKE'S POEMS
88
an oak
he was suspended in a fungus, which hung
with the liead downward into the deep.
;
By
my
"
spiritual existence.
189
by moonlight, hearing a
harper
But
found
and sought
arose,
my
and there
me how
escaped.
him
my
at
show you
I by
arms, and flew
proposal
in
my
but
all
the planets
to rest,
stars.
may
BLAKE'S POEMS
I90
then the
"
reasoning.
" Thus Swedenborg boasts that
new
though
it is
what he writes is
only the contents or index of already
published books.
" A man carried a monkey about for a show, and
because he was a little wiser than the monkey, grew
vain, and conceived himself as much wiser than seven
he shows the folly
men. It is so with Swedenborg
:
of churches,
that all
earth that ever Ijroke a net.
" Now hear a plain fact
Swedenborg has not written
:
Now
hear another
191
he has written
all
"
angels
A MEMORABLE FANCY
Once
saw a Devil
in a
flame of
fire,
who
arose before
fools,
sinners,
and nothings
"
BLAKE'S POEMS
192
If
Him
love
He
in
is
you ought
Now
to
how
commandhear
ments.
mock
woman
the
God
Sabbath's
the
murdered because
him
of
?
?
turn
others to support
virtue,
When
is
my
particular friend
together in
we
often read
the Bible
its infernal
One law
and ox
shall
oppression.
is
A SONG OF LIBERTY
1.
The
the earth
2.
it
all
Albion's
coast
i-s
sick
meadows faint.
3. Shadows of prophesy
silent
the
shiver along
by
American
the lakes
rivers,
rend
193
France,
5.
6.
And weep
7.
terror, howling.
On
8.
fire
now
barred
stood before
thy countenance
O Jew, leave counting
gold
return to thy oil and wine
O African, black
African
(Go, winged thought, widen his forehead.)
13. The fiery limbs, the flaming hair shot like the
sinking sun into the Western sea.
14. Waked from his eternal sleep, the hoary element roaring fled away.
15. Down rushed beating his wings in vain the jealous king, his grey-browed councillors, thunderous
warriors, curled veterans
among helms and shields,
enlarge
and
and
rocks.
16.
on Urthona's dens.
BLAKE'S POEMS
194
17.
Chorus.
Let the priests of the raven of dawn, no longer in
deadly black, with hoarse note curse the sons of joy.
Nor his accepted brethren whom, tyrant, he calls
VISIONS OF
The eye
I
lives is holy.
sees
LOVED Theotormon,
I was not ashamed
And
I
trembled in
And
I
my
virgin fears.
And
But the
My
thunders tore
virgin mantle in twain.
terrible
A:
195
VISIONS.
Enslaved, the Daughters
Albion weep
of
a trembhng
lamentation
Upon
their
mountains
towards
America.
For the
soft soul of
woe,
And
vale
now a flower
Now a nymph
dewy bed."
!
art thou a
I see
thee
thy
nymph
shall spring,
my
flower.
delight
"
golden shrine.
"
pluck
And
thus
my
turn
in
delight.
And
took
her impetuous
BLAKE'S POEMS
196
^vil]l
his thunders
on
his
stormy
bed
Lay
Bromion spoke
mion 's bed,
And
let
maid
Thy
the child
shall
And
put forth in
he rolled his
Bound back
to back
meekness dwell.
in
At entrance Theotormon
sits,
hard
With
secret tears
like
waves on
a desert shore
of slaves beneath the sun, and children
bought with money.
The voice
That
197
the burning
fires
Of
lust,
earth.
her
tears
limbs,
And
calling
flesh
I call
Rend away
The image
air,
this defiled
of
breast.
The
and rend
their bleeding
prey.
the
smile,
clear spring muddied with feet of beasts grows
pure and smiles.
The Daughters of Albion hear her woes, and echo
As the
Why
does
my
threshold
And Oothoon
Theotormon
sit
side,
persuading him in
hovers by his
vain.
I cry. Arise, O Theotormon, for the village dog
Barks at the breaking day, the nightingale has done
lamenting,
BLAKE'S POEMS
198
From
pure
lifts
his golden
beak
to the
east,
black.
They
me
told
could see
They
told
me
And they
day were
all
that
had
inclosed
my
that
infinite
me up
circle.
And sunk my
hot burning,
Till all
from
Instead of
life I
morn
arises a bright
erased.
shadow,
like
an eye
house.
tears.
With what
sense
is
it
hear
my
lamentations.
ravenous hawk ?
sense does the tame pigeon measure out
the expanse ?
With what sense does the bee form cells ? Have not
With what
tations
And
their joys.
forms and as
THE PROPHETIC BOOKS
Ask
why
199
meek camel
Why
he loves man.
Is
it
because of eye,
ear,
mouth,
or skin.
Or breathing
nostrils
tiger have.
and why
her spires
Love
And
" Silent
hover
all
day could be
all
silent,
If
me.
How can
be defiled when
I reflect
worm
feeds on,
By
upon
village
and the
smoke,
bathe
my
wings.
to hover
round Theotormon's
breast."
me what
with woe
me what
is
it
made
is
his silence,
the night or
day
and he answered
to one o'erflowed
is
BLAKE'S POEMS
200
Tell
me what
,2;
And
row
in
is
what
rivers
swim
the sorrows
mountains
Wave shadows of discontent
and
what houses
" Tell
forgotten,
me where
them forth ?
me where dwell the joys
till
thou
call
Tell
ancient loves
And when
of old
will
oblivion past
is
thy
flight
envier
"
?
Tnen Bromion
*'
said,
lamentation
Thoa knowest
his
by thine
the earth
To
gratify senses
unknown,
unknown
trees, beasts,
and birds
in
201
the
infinite
microscope,
Ah
of seas,
and
atmospheres un-
in
and
And
fire
poverty
And
ease
And is there not one law for both the lion and the ox ?
And is there not eternal fire and eternal chains
To bind the phantoms of existence from eternal life ? "
Then Oothoon waited
day and
all
the
night,
O Urizen,
Thy
sighs.
demon
of
heaven
men
to
thine image.
How
Are not
different
joys
is
a love
BLAKE'S POEMS
202
From
How
same
alike
How
passion, or are
they*moved
gifts
man
How different far the fat fed hireling with hollow drum,
Who buys whole cornfields into wastes, and sings
upon the heath,
How
solitude.
To
him
build
priests
Till
castles
may
and high
spires,
dwell.
she
lot,
is
bound
And must
she
Of
life
in
weary
lust
Must
chilling,
murderous
thoughts obscure
The
all
all
the
make
To
womb
her
203
human form
die a meteor,
and are no
he loaths.
And
its
unripe
birth.
Ere yet his eyelids can behold the arrows of the day.
" Does the whale worship at
hungry dog
trils
Does
cloud
still
young
their
cliffs
Or does the
shall tell
it
thee.
churchyard,
And a
grave
Over
his
bliss,
O man
'
Take thy
BLAKE'S POEMS
204
And sweet
thy
shall be
joys renew
taste,
'
I
In laps of pleasure
bliss
Who
of
morning
light,
open to virgin
and sleep.
thou awakest wilt thou dissemble
Child
of night
When
joys
all
thy secret
all
this
mystery was
knowing
to
dissemble,
joy.
And brand
it
with the
name
of
whore
and
sell it in
the night.
smoky
fires
fires
lighted
by the eyes
of honest
this hypocrite
modesty
morn.
Then
is
and
all
the virgin
joys
Of
life
are harlots
and Theotormon
is
a sick man's
dream.
And Oothoon
is
not
is
a virgin
so,
205
with virgin
filled
fancies,
Open
If in the
with work,
Sit on a bank and draw the pleasures of
born joy.
" The'moment of desire
moment
the
this free-
of desire
The
virgin
That pines
mous
for
man
shall
awaken her
womb
to enor-
joys,
the youth
shut up from
The lustful joy shall forget to generate and create an
amorous image
In the shadows of his curtains and in the folds of his
silent pillow.
continence.
The
self-en joyings
seek religion
of
self-denial
Why
dost
thou
Is it
solitude
Where
tions of desire
" Father
Jealousy,
be
my
earth
Why
thing
Till
of
is
impressed with
reflec-
thou
accursed
from the
Theotormon
this accursed
off
my
shoulders,
darkened
BLAKE'S POE.^TS
2o6
A
"
solitary
of nonentity.
cry,
free as the
drinks water.
his night,
with weepings
the day.
To spin a web
of age
dark,
Till his
sight
Such
is
With lamplike
watching
eyes,
a creeping skeleton,
around
the
frozen
marriage bed.
But
silken nets
and traps
of
adamant
will
Oothoon
spread,
And
I'll
girls of
play
In lovely copulation, bliss on bliss with Theotormon.
Red
beam,
Oothoon shall view
lustful
as the first-born
jealous cloud
Come
in the
heaven of generous
ings bring.
Where
Or does the
207
beam
that brings
Or
will
he bind him-
self
The
her limbs.
And
Arise,
you
little
joy:
Arise,
is
bliss,
"
!
Theotormon
sits
Upon
dire.
The Daughters
back her
of Albion
sighs.
AHANIA.
Chapter
I.
I.
FuzoN on a
On
chariot iron-winged,
spiked flames rose
his hot visage
:
BLAKE'S FORMS
208
" Shall
we worship
this
Demon
of
Smoke,"
This cloudy
Now
seen,
'
3-
in a fiery flame,
So he spoke
Urizen frowning indignant.
The globe of wrath shaking on high.
Roaring with fury, he threw
The howling globe burning it flew,
Lengthening into a hungry beam. Swiftly
:
On
many
a mile.
5.
was forged
in mills
:
209
6.
7.
She
fell
down, a
faint
shadow wandering
The mother
of Pestilence.
9.
But the
Was
fiery
beam
a pillar of
fire
of
Fuzon
to Egypt,
Till
With
the
body
of the sun.
BLAKE'S POEMS
2IO
Chapter
And
II.
of Urizen gathering.
2.
Formed
When
Arose.
For
fell monsters
contemplations
like floods from his mountains
his dire
Rushed down
With eggs
of unnatural production
Forthwith hatching
some howled on
;
Some
some
in vales,
his hills,
Of
these,
4.
With
his
5-
THE PROPHETIC BOOKS
A
He
21:
bow
6.
"
O bow
Send
of
Fuzon
"
I
7-
So saying,
in
He
circle of
cult
Its
weighty bulk
silent the
rock lay.
8.
"
!
9-
That gave
10.
fell
in Arabia.
diffi-
BLAKE'S POEMS
Chapter
III.
wound anointed.
The ointment flowed down on the void
Mixed with blood here the snake gets her
On
2.
With
difficulty
3.
Many
sparks of vegetation.
bending
its
boughs,
thick
poison.
THE PROPHETIC BOOKS
213
The
An
tree
still
endless labyrinth of
woe
6.
The
On
On
corse of his
begotten
first
Chapter IV.
For
in Urizen's
slumbers of abstraction,
When
tree.
Now
stretching out,
now
swift conglobing.
3-
In noxious clouds
BLAKE'S POEMS
214
Till pctrific
As the bones
of
man,
solid
and dark.
4-
Winged, screaming
in
5.
The
Enraged
He
the bones.
6.
The
army
of horrors.
7.
Round
Then Asia
They
reptilize
upon the
earth.
tree.
Chapter V.
Had
she,
Eternal
And
fell
"
Ah
Urizen, love.
Flower of morning
I weep on the verge
Of nonentity
How wide the abyss
Between^ Ahania and thee
!
"
lie
I see
4.
"
Why
To
cast
BLAKE'S POEMS
2i6
5-
"
]\Iy
I
trod.
6.
7-
On
in the
morn,
joy.
my
From
soft cloud of
In showers of
life
on
dew
to fall
his harvests.
9-
"
When
To
he gave
my
happy
When
Into
soul
my
chambers
of love.
When
II.
Bursting on winds
My
ripe figs
and
my
rich
odours,
pomegranates
feet,
"
On
On
human
The seed
soul to cast
of eternal science.
13-
My
to birth
bliss.
14.
" But
now
Renew
how can
in the chains of
delight
darkness
217
"
BLAKE'S POEMS
2i8
Where bones
On
the bleak
FROM
"
VALA
"
At the
And
first
strings!
arises
the
moon
locks.
song.
harmony
rise
round the
king
fiery
Who
my
of
of
woman
in the
The
And
on
my
song,
my
powerful
control.
The
birds
And
and beasts
rejoice
and play.
joy-
Furious and terrible they sport and rend the nether deep
The deep lifts up his rugged head.
lost in infinite
Arise,
219
is
ever dying,
is
ever living in
its
inmost joy.
little
joy.
bliss.
Now my
left
hand
neath,
And
I
wake sweet
plant a
smile
In forests of
And wake
affliction.
life
in region of
dark
death.
Universal Humanity.
And
and
Anxious
To
see
if
its
flower
fruit,
its little
array
their invisible
fish,
and bird,
his
immortal
BLAKE'S POEMS
220
He
tries
the sullen
its
angry
furrows,
The
sultry
rises,
East
When
cattle stand
As
in store-houses in his
memory.
He
He
regulates the
forms
Of all beneath and all above, and in the gentle West
Reposes where the sun's heat dwells. He rises to the
sun.
And
and
gild
The
North
Over the
slain,
and moaning
in the cattle,
and
in the
winds.
And weeping
mal
dis-
fires,
FROM
From
"
JERUSALEM.
221
"
To The Public.
Who
in
To Man
Therefore
PoETRY
human
race.
Nations are
primeval state of
art,
and
science.
11.
To The Jews.
The
fields
And fair
Among
BLAKE'S POEMS
Pancras and Kentish Town repose
Among her golden pillars high,
Among her golden arches which
Shine upon the starry sky.
The Lamb
And every
of
God walks by
English child
is
her side,
seen,
sins,
self-righteous law.
What
Where Satan
Where Albion
And
the
slept
first
victory
beneath the
won
fatal tree
life ?
And
all
223
Tore forth in
Satan his name
He
all
:
the
pomp
in flames of
of war,
fire.
far.
He
From every
He withered up Jerusalem's
And in a dark land gave
gates.
her birth.
Till it
And
thine the
human
face
and thine
and breath
feet,
BLAKE'S POEMS
224
God
of
whom
Come
my
Depart,
S2:)ectre of
Albion
warlike fiend
My
selfhood
Is this
Thy
Destroying
all
By
In
his
my
own law
Shall walk
and mine
in ever^'^ land,
INIutual,
Both heart
and hand
in heart
in
hand.
Ill
To The Deists
I
Arise before
I talked
In the
my
sight
beams
monk
as he stood
of infernal lieht.
THE PROPHETIC BOOKS
Gibbon arose with a lash
And
The
225
of steel.
War
Arose with
"Thou
in iron
and
gold.
" In vain
side,
When
Satan
first
the black
He
And
bow
bent,
mercy's Lord.
Voltaire, Rousseau,
Gibbon
vain
For a tear
is
an intellectual thing,
And
And
IV
To THE Christian
I
Only wind
It will lead
it
you
into a ball,
in at
Heaven's
gate,
BLAKE'S POEMS
226
We
'.ve
are
may
toM
lose
redeemed.
imagination,
the real
Universe
which
shadow, and
but a faint
of
imagination,
this
Vegetable
in
which we
bodies
everything to
you
in the
name
of Jesus
and
man
science.
What
ye
the
upon
I call
life
of
man
What
227
my
I stood among
And saw a flame
even as a wheel
it went
surrounding all the heayens
From West to East against the current of
Creation, and devoured all things in its loud
Of
of
fire,
fire
By
the
it
moon
And
restless fury
Into a
little
Man
for,
from
its
himself shrunk up
dire
earth.
BLAKE'S POEMS
228
of religion. "
way
"
?
its
name
But Jesus
is
spiritual disease,
The dungeons
burst,
England
awake
awake
set free."
awake
Thy
hills
and valleys
felt
her feet
souls exult
229
emanates
every man,
tent
And Jerusalem
is
called Liberty
forgiveness,
among
male
the children
of Albion.
Why
veil
with iron
wheels of war.
When
forgiveness might
bim
weave
it
Love and
its
Negations
love,
is
cruelty.
Which separated
And
left
self.
man
little
BLAKE'S POEMS
230
Vengeance
What
shall I
do
What
these criminals
I
could
do
could find
all
things are
if
And
always escape
he who takes vengeance
shall
And
Hand
the sinner
that
is
Providence.
If I
In
way
Of
Should
my finger
I
on a grain of sand,
punish the already punished.
whom
I
pity
astra})-
if
who
is
gone
Albion,
sons
shall I
them
to defend
Lie, that
he
may
and takcMi,
That enthusiasm and
life
may
not cease.
231
Creation
I
will
My business is
to create.
Reason
And
this is the
strength
manner
This
is
And
Abomination
of Deso-
lation.
Analysis
it
iJ
132
LAKE'S POEMS
Sexual Love
that
could
that
the
Lamb
Of God would look upon me and pity me in my fury.
In anguish of regeneration, in terrors of self-annihilation,
till
the time of
the end.
O
O
The dead
and scorn
despise thee,
thee,
and
cast thee
out as accursed,
Seeing the
Lamb
of
God
in thy
And
if
for
love one
who had
never
for
God
man
man
is
love,
As God is love.
Death
Every kindness
hood.
man
to another
exist but
is
little
by brother-
FROM
And
"
233
"
MILTON
green
seen
And
Among
Bring
I will
me my
chariot of
fire
fight,
is
And every
space that a
place.
roof, or in his
Of twenty-five cubits
in
height,
garden on a mount
such space is his
universe.
rises
and
sets,
the clouds
BLAKE'S POEMS
234
The
and
On
of gold
if
farther,
all sides,
And
no
set
move
he
their valves
heavens also
move
Where'er he goes, and
all his
neighbourhood bewails
his loss.
called earth,
and such
dimen-
its
sion.
As
to
reasoner
As
of a globe rolling
through voidness,
a delusion
it is
of Ulro.
Time
Every time
Is
equal in
For
less
its
work
is
done, and
all
the
great
in such
Space
Every space
Is visionary,
and
And every
is
created
man's blood
by the hammer
of Los.
blood opens
Into eternity, of which the vegetable earth
shadow.
is
but a
235
lark sitting
Appears, listens
upon
silent,
morn
cornfield,
Loud he
Day
thrill
thrill
thrill
panse.
His
throat
little
labours
with
inspiration
every
feather
On
All
Nature
Stands
listens silent to
still
bird
With eyes
of soft humility,
and wonder,
love,
and
awe.
The
and the
goldfinch, robin,
and
the wren.
Awake
odours.
BLAKE'S POEMS
236
in the flowery
bosoms,
Joy even
to tears,
rising dries
first
soft
waving among
the reeds.
they
wake
The honeysuckle
beauty
Revels along upon the wind
May
Opens her many lovely eyes
still
sleeps,
iSfone
curtained bed.
And comes
Every
flower,
The
tion.
The
jonquil
the mild
lily
every
tree
And
fill
ble dance.
Yet
all in
Love.
order, sweet
and
lovely.
Men
PROSE FRAGMENTS.
PROSE FRAGMENTS.
ON HIS PICTURE OF THE CANTERBURY
PILGRIMS.
The
tima chosen
jolly
company
is
early
morning before
Tabarde Inn.
yeoman
when the
The Knight and
sunrise,
and three
priests
next
her
With
Next follow the Friar and Monk, and then the Tapiser, the
Pardoner, and the Sompnour and Manciple. After this " Our
Host," who occupies the centre of the cavalcade, and directs
them to the Knight, as the person who would be likely to commence their task of each telling a tale in their order. After
the Host follows the Shipman, the Haberdasher, the Dyer,
the Franklin, the Physician, the Ploughman, the Lawyer,
the Poor Parson, the Merchant, the Wife of Bath, the Miller_
and the
the Cook, the Oxford Scholar, Chaucer himself
Reeve comes as Chaucer has described
;
"
And
the
These last are issuing from the gnteway of the Inn
Cook and the Wife of Bath are both taldng their morning's
;
draught of comfort.
Inn,
239
BLAKE'S POEMS
240
The Landscape
villages.
horizon
On
the Inn is inscribed its title, and a proper adtaken of this circumstance to describe the subject
of the picture.
The words written over tlie gateway of the
Inn are as follows
" The Tabarde Inn, by Henry Baillie, the lodgynge house
chester.
vantage
is
for Pilgrims
who journey
to St.
bury."
The characters
which compose
rises different to
we
of Chaucer's
all
see the
Substance
titles
in
are altered
ever remain
His Canterbury
by
unaltered
and conse-
human
life
He
is
has spent
life
in the field,
PROSE FRAGMENTS
which
oppressor.
His sonjs
greater perfection
like
man
against the
and the
as he blends literature
still,
guardian of
241
arts
first rate,
The
Yeoman
Squire's
knowing
"
is
in his profession
And
in his
hand he bore
perfectly
mighty bow."
The
man
one who,
in war,
is
" Another
This Lady
honoured.
no doubt all
work which
are
now
lost
we ought
to suppose
them
suitable attendants on
The Monk
also
is
described by Chaucer as a
man
of the first
dignified mirth,
but
accompaniments not so
respectable.
BLAKE'S POEMS
242
The
Friar
"
is
but in his
office
he is said to be a "
lis,
that I
of the
himself
is
in their conception
its acts.
men who
Chaucer
in every age is
and superior, who looks down on their little follies, from the Emperor to the Miller, sometimes with severity,
oftener with joke and sport.
as a father,
"
'
is
;
right
me,
it is
of this
much
folk, as I guesse.
a great disease.
in wealth
and ease
is
his tale
" Tragedie
As
is
to
tell
old books us
a certain story,
maken memory.
Though a man
of art
and
of luxury, pride,
learning,
PROSE FRAGMENTS
Monk is intended
Chaucer's
ter,
know
of Chaucer.
little
is
this group,
they are
243
always,
though
uttered
with
audacity
and weightily expressive of knowledge and exHenry Baillie, the keeper of the greatest Inn of
the greatest City, for such was the Tabarde Inn in Southwark
near London, our Host was also a leader of the age.
substantially
perience
By way
them
and so are
sanctuary, and he
is
suffered
by Providence,
and
has also his great use and his grand leading destiny.
His companion, the Sompnour, is also a Devil of the first
and honoured in the rank of
magnitude, grand, terrific, rich
which he holds the destiny. The uses to Society are perhaps
equal of the Devil and the Angel. Their sublimity, who can
;
dispute
own
gise.
etc.
He
is
yet he
of the
is,
Him,
Who
BLAKE'S POEMS
244
in
ye rich and powerful, for these men, and obey their counsel
then
sliall
But
alas
light.
you
Search,
;
will not
easily distinguish
also, are " full
to follow.
have placed by
and take their counsel, especially in all diffiChaucer's Lawyer is a character of great venerable,
The Doctor
Pilgrimage.
We
these characters
all
Every age
a Canterbury
is
bom who
not one or
is
The Doctor
of Physic is
described as the
pletely Master
is
is
the Hercules,
etc.
ness
itself,
The Ploughman is
posed
PROSE FRAGMENTS
'*
He would
245
threash,
appjar to poets in
Cherubim
human
life
all ages.
of Phoenicia,
These
society.
man
The Ploughman
of
is
and rebels
Chaucer
is
such as exists in
all
is
the
added.
one.
in
his
company
" Full nine-and-twenty in a
company."
The Webbe,
But
or Weaver,
A Webbe
Dyer," that
is
cloth dyer
"
A Webbe
BLAKE'S POEMS
246
The
characters of
classes, the
Lady
women Chaucer
men
The Lady
Prioress in
some ages
predominates, and in some the Wife of Bath, in whose character Chaucer has been equally minute and exact, because she
I shall say no more of her,
also a scourge and a blight.
nor e.xpose what Chaucer has left hidden. Let the young
It is useful as a scarereader study what he has said of her.
crow. There are such characters born too many for the peace
is
of the world.
This character
I come at length to the Clerk of Oxenford.
varies from that of Chaucer as the contemplative philosopher
varies from the poetical genius.
There are always these two
classes of learned sages
The painter has put them side by side, as if the youthful Clerk
had put himself under the tuition of the m;;ture poet. Let the
philosopher always be the servant and scholar of inspiration,
this picture,
which was
most
gated
artfully
among
the public
by ignorant
hirelings.
The painter
profits of his
have left him to shift for himself, while others, more obedient
to an employer's opinions and directions, are employed at
great expense to produce works in succession to his, by which
they acqtiired public patronage.
lot,
and then
to be left
and neg-
and
his work,
n-ill
give the
lie
to such aspersions.
Those who say that men are led by interest are knaves. A
knavish character will often say, " Of what interest is it tome
to do
so and so? " I answer, "Of none at all, but the contrary,
as you well know.
It is of malice and envy that you have done
this therefore I am aware of you, because I know that you act,
PROSE FRAGMENTS
not from interest, but from malice, even to your
become
247
own
destruc-
tion."
in all things.
As there is a class of men whose sole delight is in the destrucmen, so there is a class of artists whose whole art and
tion of
science
is
these are
soon known.
"
By
their
works ye
shall
Who
know
who
separate Painting
cer
Was
He
sit
Joust,
Was
this a fop ?
this a fop ?
well write."
BLAKE'S POEMS
248
And
Was
this a fop ?
It is the
same with
all
his characters.
He had done
all
by
Chaucer,
ter,
wno
as he has endeavoured to
is
little difficult to
and catch-penny
When men
make him.
To be
sure,
cannot
Chaucer
trifles
ought
"
of the rout."
is
And
Now
forth, to tell
vrill
fond
my fourth husband."
about
;
a. fit
PROSE FRAGMENTS
Yet the painter ought
who has
to be very
called his " a
is
249
What
all,
for it is so,
and
his
expression as
it is
of every lineament.
care.
But the
upon
gold, he has
introduced a character that Chaucer has not, namely, a Goldsmith, for so the prospectus tells us. Why he introduced a
Goldsmith, and what is the wit, the prospectus does not explain.
But
it
painter.
The
By
BLAKE'S POEMS
250
is
but
this
does not
make him
a Sea-Captain. Chau-
certain periods
the soldier
it is
by
sea.
He who would be a
commercial nations-
misconception.
"
And now
Identity.
In eternity one thing never changes into another thing.
identity
is
eternal.
Each
fable
more ancient
writings.
identity, while
it
who
retains its
vegetation
is
another thing.
by the seed
vision.
PROSE FRAGMENTS
251
eternal,
and temporal.
realities of
everything which
we
glass of nature.
me as coming to judgment
and throwing off the temporal that the
eternal might be established. Around Him are seen the images
Who
imagination.
among His
of
apppeared to
saints,
according to
existence
certain
order suited to
my
imaginative energy.
Minute Knowledge.
If the spectator could enter into these images in his imagina-
thought,
know), then would he arise from the grave, then would he meet
General
air, and then he would be happy.
knowledge
is
remote knowledge.
It
is
in
particulars
that
and in life
general masses are as much art as a pasteboard man is human.
Every man has eyes, nose, and mouth. This every idiot knows.
But he who enters into and discriminates most minutely the
manners and intentions, the characters in all their branches, is
the alone wise or sensible man, and on this discrimination all
wisdom
consists
art is founded.
to the
They
and happiness
I entreat, then,
hands and
are
all
feet, to
too.
Both
in art
descriptive of character,
and not a
line is
drawn
much
Alast Judgment is
flourish
BLAKE'S POEMS
252
rulers.
It is the
Works
as with nations.
Poverty
tlie
is
man
is
the fool's
Let those
Why Men
Men
enter Heaven.
The
be ever so holy.
heaven. Those
fool shall
Holiness
who
is
all
no
curbing
arts of poverty
crucifies
to
you hypocrites
PROSE FRAGMENTS
253
an experiment picture
is
are
oppose the
spirits of those
who
worthily
mind and
of thought
inspiration.
No man
invention
nor can an
Good and
Many
Evil.
BLAKE'S POEMS
2 54
The Clearness of
The Prophets
Vision.
his
mortal eye.
men.
the greater
is
the evidence of
weak
imitation,
plagiarism
it
before
man
PROSE FRAGMENTS
Thz Trees of Knowledge and of
The combats
255
Life.
habits.
Man
He comes
accused of
He
sin.
man
We
is
to
do
only
THERE
IS
NO NATURAL RELIGION. I.
in
the Wilderness.
The Argument.
.\s
the true
faculty of
This faculty
I treat of.
Principle First.
That the poetic genius is the true man, and that the body
or outward form of man is derived from the poetic genius.
BLAKE'S POEMS
256
all
and
spirit
same
called an angel
and demon.
Prixciple Second.
As
all
men
poetic genius.
Principle Third.
No man
Principle Fourth.
The
Principle Sixth.
This
is
Principle Seventh.
As
all
gions,
The
men
and as
true
man
THERE
all reli-
similars
is
IS
Man
.Naturally,
he
is
fitness
but from
education
of perception
PROSE FRAGMENTS
257
II.
same that
it shall
all
is
not the
III.
From
fifth.
IV.
if
his perceptions
VI.
The
desires
I.
Man
bodily organs.
of
and judge
NOTES
NOTES
Che Poetical Sketches.
the following preface
Page
i.
The original
edition
has
ADVERTISEMENT.
" The following Sketches were the production of untutored
youth,
commenced
the author
till
in his twelfth,
in his profession,
eye.
every page,
Ms
friends
have
still
some
by
and Works
He made
when they were made, the
of William Blake."
!! :
WILLIAM BLAKE
262
The poems
Death
"
",
A War Song
WAR SONG
TO ENGLISHMEN.
Prepare, prepare the iron helm of war.
The Angel
And
casts
lots, cast in
Prepare, prepare
prepare
Your
Whose
Why
Had
And
sinks
I
my heart, why
Methinks
faltereth
my
'tis
mine
tongue
rise,
field.
Prepare, prepare
The arrows
of
Prepare, prepare
Soldiers, prepare
Soldiers, prepare
Prepare, prepare
NOTES
Alfred shall smile, and
make
263
"
"
Samson "
Go
is
seen at
the changing
moon
its
do thy
guileful
work
performed, thou
shalt
Moon
of Innocence ";
" The Songs of Innocence " and " The Song of Experience "
were latterly bound together by Blake imder the title of "The
Songs of Innocence and Experience, showing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul." " The MS. book " gives
the following verses with the note that they are a " motto for
the Songs of Innocence and Experience."
WILLIAM BLAKE
264
And
Till
And
"
and Elves.
end,
THE
TIGER.
or eye
fearful
symmetry
And what
NOTES
Could
And
filch it
in
thy
26s
homed
woe
What
the anvil
chain,
?
is
upon
this
couplet
" Did
in
is
"
from the one found by Mr. Ellis and the present editor in the
MS. book, and claim for it also MS. authority.
When Blake altered and copied out the poem for engraving
he altogether omitted the unfinished fourth verse, and forgot
to make the last line of the third a complete sentence.
Mr.
D. G. Rossetti did this for him by substituting " formed " for
The Garden
of Love.
Page
76.
Mr.
of
to divide
WILLIAM BLAKE
266
The
Little
of line 9 "
is called
there "
An
Ancient Proverb."
Page
Infant Sorrow.
poem
as follows
The
79.
began
to sooth
and
smile.
And
Till
And
And
And many
a lovely flower
and
tree
My father,
(?
Pronounced curses on
And bound me in
So
smote him
my head.
a myrtle shade.
my myrtle bore
youth is lied,
And grey hairs are on my head.
of
look)
this
NOTES
A
Page
Cradle Song.
82.
267
by Blake
in
any engraved
it is
Page
84.
raised a spiritual
The Voice
it
of the
at the
Page
Ancient Bard.
85.
"
The
",
where
who
it
present, past,
sees
at the beginning.
Page
89.
The MS.
title for
called "
meaning and uncomely titles as " Later Poems" or Miscellaneous Poems." The editor follows the example of Gilchrist's book
in including under the title poems from other sources than the
MS. book. The sources are letters, the engraved copy of " The
Gates of Paradise ", the newly discovered " Island of the
Moon ", and what the author of the note on page 85 of Gilchrist's second volume has called " another small autograph
"
collection of different matter somewhat more fairly copied
than the MS. book. This " autograph collection " has vanished
for the present, having defied all the efforts of Mr. ElUs and
the present writer to discover it.
It is to be hoped that it has
WILLIAM BLAKE
268
Gilchrist
timidity which
and omissions
in printing
from
still
accessible
The
done
MS. book, and his principles
the main by Mr. W. M. Rossetti in
with "obscurity."
He
*',
for
instance,
to
" anti-Christ,
creeping Jesus ", and have convinced himself that Blake meant
to write " anti-Christ, aping Jesus." His sin was not so much
editorial, for
other ways.
NOTES
269
and " Old English Hospitality, " from " The Island of the
Moon." The excluded poems are " La Fayette ", " To Mrs.
Butts ", " Seed Sowing ", " Idolatry ", " Long John Brown
and Little Mary Bell ", " Song by an Old Shepherd ", and
" Song by a Shepherd ", and well nigh all " the epigrams and
satirical pieces on art and artists."
None of these poems,
howsoever curious and biograpliically interesting they be,
have poetical value anything like equal to the selections from
" The Prophetic Books ", made possible by leaving them out.
In many cases Blake gave no title to his poems, and the editor
has ventured more than once to differ from the titles chosen
by Mr. W. M. Rossetti and to substitute titles of his own.
He has never, however, done this except when the old title
seemed obviously misleading, uncharacteristic, or imgainly.
Blake's own text of " The Ideas of Good and Evil " has
been restored in the present volume in every case where the
original MS. is still accessible.
The restorations are not always
to the advantage of the poem, though in some cases they cerand it is possible that the editors of the future
tainly are
may prefer to make a few of those corrections which Blake
would doubtless have made had he re-copied for the press his
rough first drafts, and to keep a mid-track between the much
modified version of Messrs. Dante and Wilham Rossetti and
;
To Mr.
Butts.
Page
Page
90.
letter
92.
letter
95.
96.
is
given
by Mr. Dante
correctly.
Even
The poem
is
all
far
if
impossible
he read Blake's
a series of magnificent
how
it is
poem with
middle, be-
WILLIAM BLAKE
270
Rossetti's
version.
left
out several
greatest of
all
Blake's poems.
The couplet
" Every tear in every eye
Becomes
was continued
a babe in eternity
" This
is
And retum'd
a
little
further
"
as follows
to its
down came
own
delight."
the lines
To be in
But no good
if
a passion
may do,
is in
you."
Heme
Gilchrist.
He
'.
Blake was
most exact in the use of terms, and would never have called
either "The harlot's cry from the street", or "The whore
and gambler by the state licensed ", or " The questioner who
so sly ", or " The wanton boy who kills the fly", or well
nigh any of the things mentioned in this poem, " Auguries of
sits
Innocence."
NOTES
271
He did, upon the other hand, hold that " Innocence " or
the state of youthful poetic imagination was none other than
to " see a world in a grain of sand " and " a heaven in a wild
flower." Neither Mr. Rossetti nor Mr. Shepherd believed
Blake to use words with philosophical precision, but held him
a vague dreamer carried away by his imagination, and may
well have never given two thoughts to anything except the
imaginative charm of the title. We have already seen how
Mr. W. M. Rossetti tacked on to " The Garden of Love "
the kind.
In a Myrtle Shade.
final version
Page
103.
The
poem
printed
is
the
The
first
should
To
Blossoms showering
all
around
O how weak
and weary
Underneath
my myrtle lie,
Underneath
my myrtle
bound.
thee,
To any
tree that
grows on grouad.
To behold
Oft
my
father
And laughed
saw us
sigh,
at our simplicity.
WILLIAM BLAKE
272
is
TO MY MYRTLE.
Why should I be bound to
O my lovely myrtle tree ?
thee,
There
is
now almost
out
Deceit to seeming
*
refined
And
fetters every mind,
And forges fetters of the mind.
We
it
was the
origin of a stanza
poem
follows
*"
NOTES
The Two Thrones.
no title by Blake, is
273
in the
printed
201).
The
it
iii.
The second
arbitrary.
MS. the
made
fourth the
fifth,
He
left out Blake's own ninth stanza altogether.
has also imported a stanza from " The Monk of Charlemagne ",
ninth,
and
and made
it
of his transposition
pen claimed to give this poem " in full " (see Aldine
edition, page 144), and has not only not done so, but has given
passages out of the order intended by Blake, and printed
slip of the
Ivords here
is
to
not given in
do so without
final
text.
of a large
wholly to
sages.
many
made
Blake
left,
by Mr.
Rossetti.
The short fragment which begins the poem
both in the present and in the Aldine text was probably intended to be a private dedication apparently to Stothard,
WILLIAM BLAKE
274
and not a part
of the
poem
at
The present
all.
editor follows
Mr. Rossetti in leaving out two ungainly lines about the length
of Stothard's nose and the shortness of Blake's (see " Works
of William Blake", vol.
ii,
page
Had
44).
lines.
Was
He
of
Was
Jesus
title
bom
end of
all.
Printed by Mr.
Rossetti without
Page
122.
fifth
and Emanation.
Page
129.
stone
Mr.
Dante. Rossetti
by
this
mistake
NOTES
Into calling
'*
it
is
275
Blake gives no
technical
his
title,
but
expression for
book.
The
the poem.
There
are,
my sins
O'er
thou dost
Hast thou no
O'er
my sins
And
lull
What
Are
thy
They
by him.
sit
sins of thine
thou dost
own
sit
are as follows
and moan.
own
and weep,
transgressions I
commit
their grave.
That
follow in a storm
Bind around
my aching head
which
is
Los in
more usual
benevolent aspect.
Page
Abel
"
to belong to
no
life.
me
With the
WILLIAM BLAKE
276
words (in section 8), " I am Tiriel, King of the West ", a new
and less precise kind of handwriting begins clearly indicating,
I think, that Blake, after an interval of some years, took up
the poem and finished it, perhaps in much more summary
fashion than he at first intended." The style of the later lines
seems to the present writer to be much later than the style of
;
It is
more
directly mystical,
more
of a
Thel.
Page 169. This poem was engraved in 1789. The
engraved copy begins " The daughters of Mne Seraphim ",
Mnetha
",
the syllable
it
requires.
NOTES
On
From
277
Page 239.
his
Identity.
"The
ment,"
Minute Knowledge.
Last Judg-
Page
251.
From
From
the
same source
the
last.
Learning
Imagination.
without
Page
253.
From
from a Cloud.
the
"A
"
Form and
in a
somewhat arbitrary
order.
Good and
Evil.
Page 253.
From
and
Life.
Page
254.
Ruth a Drawing."
The Tree of Good and Evil. Page 255. From the sequel to
"
his description of the picture of
The Last Judgment." It is
omitted in Gilchrist perhaps because Blake himself drew a
It was probably objected to by Blake simply
line through it.
because it added to the obscurity, without greatly helping the
argument, of his " sequel ", and not because he disapproved
)f it in itself, for it states more shortly and explicitly than
elsewhere a fundamental conception of
his.
is
From
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Butler
Tanner,
The Selwood
London
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