William Blake anthology review AICE Lit

review which anthology each poem is from

Introduction to the

Piping down the valleys wild 

Piping songs of pleasant glee 

On a cloud I saw a child. 

And he laughing said to me. 

Pipe a song about a Lamb; 

So I piped with merry chear, 

Piper pipe that song again— 

So I piped, he wept to hear.

Songs of Innocence

Introduction to the

Hear the voice of the Bard!

Who Present, Past, & Future sees 

Whose ears have heard, 

The Holy Word, 

That walk'd among the ancient trees. 

Calling the lapsed Soul 

And weeping in the evening dew: 

That might controll, 

The starry pole; 

And fallen fallen light renew!

Songs of Experience

The Lamb

Little Lamb who made thee 

         Dost thou know who made thee 

Gave thee life & bid thee feed. 

By the stream & o'er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing wooly bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the vales rejoice! 

         Little Lamb who made thee 

         Dost thou know who made thee 

Songs of Innocence

The Tyger

Tyger Tyger, burning bright, 

In the forests of the night; 

What immortal hand or eye, 

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies. 

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

Songs of Experience

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 & in soot I sleep.

There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head

That curled like a lamb's back, was shaved, so I said,

"Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare,

You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."

Songs of Innocence

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.

Because I was happy upon the heath,

And smil'd among the winter's snow,

They clothed me in the clothes of death,

And taught me to sing the notes of woe.

Songs of Experience

Holy Thursday

Twas on a Holy Thursday their innocent faces clean 

The children walking two & two in red & blue & green 

Grey-headed beadles walkd before with wands as white as snow,

Till into the high dome of Pauls they like Thames waters flow 

O what a multitude they seemd these flowers of London town 

Seated in companies they sit with radiance all their own 

The hum of multitudes was there but multitudes of lambs 

Thousands of little boys & girls raising their innocent hands

Songs of Innocence

Holy Thursday

Is this a holy thing to see, 

In a rich and fruitful land,

Babes reducd to misery,

Fed with cold and usurous hand?

Is that trembling cry a song?

Can it be a song of joy?

And so many children poor?

It is a land of poverty!

Songs of Experience

The Shepherd

How sweet is the shepherd’s sweet lot!
From the morn to the evening he strays;
He shall follow his sheep all the day,
And his tongue shall be filled with praise.

For he hears the lambs’ innocent call,
And he hears the ewes’ tender reply;
He is watchful while they are in peace,
For they know when their shepherd is nigh.

Songs of Innocence

The Angel

I dreamt a dream! What can it mean?
And that I was a maiden Queen

Guarded by an Angel mild:
Witless woe was ne’er beguiled!

And I wept both night and day,
And he wiped my tears away;
And I wept both day and night,
And hid from him my heart’s delight.

Songs of Experience

The Little Boy Lost

Father, father, where are you going

    O do not walk so fast.

Speak father, speak to your little boy

    Or else I shall be lost,

The night was dark no father was there

    The child was wet with dew.

The mire was deep, & the child did weep

    And away the vapour flew.

Songs of Innocence

A Little Boy Lost

‘Nought loves another as itself,

Nor venerates another so,

Nor is it possible to Thought

A greater than itself to know:

‘And, Father, how can I love you

Or any of my brothers more?

I love you like the little bird

That picks up crumbs around the door.’

Songs of Experience

The Divine Image

To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love

All pray in their distress;

And to these virtues of delight

Return their thankfulness.

For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love

Is God, our father dear,

And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love

Is Man, his child and care.

Songs of Innocence

The Human Abstract

Pity would be no more

If we did not make somebody poor;

And Mercy no more could be

If all were as happy as we.

And mutual fear brings peace,

Till the selfish loves increase;

Then Cruelty knits a snare,

And spreads his baits with care.

Songs of Experience

Spring 
Sound the Flute!
Now it’s mute.
Birds delight
Day and Night.
Nightingale
In the dale
Lark in Sky
Merrily
Merrily Merrily to welcome in the Year

Songs of Innocence

Earth's Answer

Earth rais'd up her head, 

From the darkness dread & drear.

Her light fled: 

Stony dread!

And her locks cover'd with grey despair.

Prison'd on watry shore 

Starry Jealousy does keep my den 

Cold and hoar 

Weeping o'er 

I hear the Father of the ancient men 

Songs of Experience

Nurses Song

When the voices of children are heard on the green 

And laughing is heard on the hill, 

My heart is at rest within my breast 

And everything else is still. 

"Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down 

And the dews of night arise; 

Come, come, leave off play, and let us away 

Till the morning appears in the skies."

Songs of Innocence

Nurses Song

When the voices of children are heard on the green

And whisp’rings are in the dale,

The days of my youth rise fresh in my mind,

My face turns green and pale.

Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,

And the dews of night arise;

Your spring and your day are wasted in play,

And your winter and night in disguise.

Songs of Experience

The Little Girl Lost

In futurity

I prophesy

That the earth from sleep

(Grave the sentence deep)

Shall arise, and seek

For her Maker meek;

And the desert wild

Become a garden mild.

Songs of Innocence

The Little Girl Found

All the night in woe

Lyca's parents go

Over valleys deep,

While the deserts weep.

Tired and woe-begone,

Hoarse with making moan,

Arm in arm, seven days

They traced the desert ways.

Songs of Experience

The Little Black Boy

My mother bore me in the southern wild,

And I am black, but O! my soul is white;

White as an angel is the English child: 

But I am black as if bereav'd of light.

My mother taught me underneath a tree 

And sitting down before the heat of day,

She took me on her lap and kissed me,

And pointing to the east began to say. 

Songs of Innocence

The Little Vagabond

Dear Mother, dear Mother, the Church is cold,

But the Ale-house is healthy & pleasant & warm;

Besides I can tell where I am use'd well,

Such usage in heaven will never do well.

   But if at the Church they would give us some Ale. 

And a pleasant fire, our souls to regale; 

We'd sing and we'd pray, all the live-long day; 

Nor ever once wish from the Church to stray, 

Songs of Experience

A Cradle Song 
Sweet dreams, form a shade

O'er my lovely infant's head!

Sweet dreams of pleasant streams

By happy, silent, moony beams!

Sweet Sleep, with soft down

Weave thy brows an infant crown!

Sweet Sleep, angel mild,

Hover o'er my happy child!

Songs of Innocence

London

I wander thro' each charter'd street,

Near where the charter'd Thames does flow. 

And mark in every face I meet

Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every Man,

In every Infants cry of fear,

In every voice: in every ban,

The mind-forg'd manacles I hear 

Songs of Experience

The Little Boy Found

The little boy lost in the lonely fen,

Led by the wandering light,

Began to cry, but God, ever nigh,

Appeared like his father, in white.

He kissed the child, and by the hand led,

And to his mother brought,

Who in sorrow pale, through the lonely dale,

Her little boy weeping sought.

Songs of Innocence

A Dream

Once a dream did weave a shade,

O'er my Angel-guarded bed,

That an Emmet lost it's way

Where on grass methought I lay.

Troubled wilderd and forlorn

Dark benighted travel-worn,

Over many a tangled spray

All heart-broke I heard her say.

Songs of Innocence

On Anothers Sorrow 

And not be in sorrow too.

Can I see anothers grief,

And not seek for kind relief.

Can I see a falling tear,

And not feel my sorrows share,

Can a father see his child,

Weep, nor be with sorrow fill’d.

Songs of Innocence

The Fly

Little fly,
Thy summer’s play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away.

Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?

Songs of Experience

My Pretty Rose Tree 

A flower was offer’d to me,

Such a flower as May never bore;

But I said ‘I’ve a pretty Rose-tree,’

And I passèd the sweet flower o’er.

Then I went to my pretty Rose-tree,

To tend her by day and by night,

But my Rose turn’d away with jealousy,

And her thorns were my only delight.

Songs of Experience

A Poison Tree

I was angry with my friend; 

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe: 

I told it not, my wrath did grow. 

And I waterd it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears: 

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles. 

Songs of Experience

The School Boy

I love to rise in a summer morn,

When the birds sing on every tree;

The distant huntsman winds his horn,

And the skylark sings with me:

O what sweet company!

But to go to school in a summer morn, -

O it drives all joy away!

Under a cruel eye outworn,

The little ones spend the day

In sighing and dismay.

Songs of Experience