TO THE EVENING STAR
by: William Blake (1757-1827)
HOU fair-hair'd angel of the evening, Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains, light Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes In timely sleep. Let thy west wind sleep on The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes, And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon, Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide, And then the lion glares through the dun forest: The fleeces of our flocks are cover'd with Thy sacred dew: protect them with thine influence!
From Poetical Sketches.
ReplyDeleteIn his youth Blake wrote conventional poetry, some of which was published by his friends in a conventional book. It is lovely work but distinct from his mature work.
http://www.english.uga.edu/~nhilton/Blake/blaketxt1/poetical_sketches.html