William Blake
(1757—1827)

The Wild Flower's Song

As I wander'd the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard a wild flower
Singing a song.

I slept in the Earth
In the silent night,
I murmur'd my fears
And I felt delight.

In the morning I went
As rosy as morn,
To seek for new joy;
But O! met with scorn.

. . .

The most famous of Blake's poems is "Auguries of Innocence", with its memorable opening stanza:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

. . .
William Blake, born in London (1757-1827) was the first of the great English Romantic poets, as well as a painter and printer and one of the greatest engravers in English history. His poetry and visual art are inextricably linked. Blake expressed his visions with a talent that approached genius. He lived in near poverty and died unrecognized. Today, Blake is acclaimed one of England's great figures of art and literature and one of the most inspired and original painters of his time.


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