Who is this Blake to Thee?
My thirst for poetry to slake;
I sought to see
what's he to me -
a poet I shall not forsake.
In an epigram;
his catalogued apology;
come share a dram,
who gives a damn?
His wit -- a madman's prodigy.
And what could burn brighter
than a Tyger by candlelight
as a writer
pulls all-nighter,
enamored; Blake instills insight.
His voice we must hear!
Ink left for all posterity;
allays your fear,
may shed a tear -
his work brought me such clarity.
KAW 4/2/17
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Author Notes
The artwork was found in a public domain Google search and depicts one of his most famous poems. (see below)
My poem is an emulation of his:
Hear The Voice Of The Bard - Poem by William Blake
Hear the voice of the Bard !
Who present, past, and future sees;
Whose ears have heard
The Holy Word,
That walked among the ancient trees,
Calling the lapsed soul,
And weeping in the evening dew;
That might control
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 floor,
The watery shore,
Is given thee till the break of day.'
Biography of William Blake (an excerpt from https://www.poemhunter.com/william-blake/biography/)
An English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". His visual artistry has led one contemporary art critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced". Although he lived in London his entire life except for three years spent in Felpham he produced a diverse and symbolically rich corpus, which embraced the imagination as "the body of God", or "Human existence itself".
Insight to this poet's process: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Blake%27s_apology_for_his_Catalogue
I really enjoyed reading, "Blake's apology for his Catalogue." You'll also see illustration of his original notebook pages. Interesting stuff!
And, the work which is most anthologized in the English language:
The Tyger by William Blake
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?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? What the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
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