William Blake
Songs of Experience
Songs of Experience is the second part of Songs of Innocence and of Experience:
Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul (first published in 1794), an
expansion of Blake's first illuminated book Songs of Innocence. The poems and
artwork were reproduced by copperplate engraving and colored with washes by
hand. Blake republished Songs of Innocence and Experience several times, often
changing the number and order of the plates. The spellings, punctuation and
capitalizations are those of the original Blake manuscripts.
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!
O Earth O Earth return!
Arise from out the dewy grass;
Night is worn,
And the morn
Rises from the slumberous mass.
Turn away no more:
Why wilt thou turn away
The starry Boor
The watry shore
Is giv'n thee till the break of day
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
Selfish father of men
Cruel jealous selfish fear
Can delight
Chain'd in night
The virgins of youth and morning bear.
Does spring hide its joy
When buds and blossoms grow!
Does the sower!
Sow by night?
Or the plowman in darkness plow!
Break this heavy chain,
That does freeze my bones around
Selfish! vain!
Eternal bane!
That free Love with bondage bound.
The Clod & the Pebble
Love ...
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