THE PHOTO SHOWS BIRDS IN CAGES FOR SALE IN ~ DOHA QATAR
THE FULL POEM IS 128 LINES ~ WE HAVE CHOSEN 16 LINES TO SHARE
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.
A robin redbreast in a cage
Puts all Heaven in a rage
A dove-house filled with doces and pigeons
Shudders Hell through all its regions.
A dog starved at his masters gate
Predicts the ruin of the State
A horse misused upon the road
Calls to Heaven for human blood.
Each outcry of the hunted hare
A fibre form the brain doth tear
A skylark wounded on the wing
A cherubim doth cease to sing
WILLIAM BLAKE ~ 1757 - 1827
Sometimes as Amateur Poets it is good to look at the work of an Established Poet
and learn from them ! Blake is an ECO-PHILOSOPHER and was 200 years ahead of
his time in his concern for the Environment, There are still those determined to be
involved in Fox Hunting today ~ see video. When will we ever learn ? ANALYSIS:
The first QUATRAIN sees Infinity in the very small. We have both used
MICROSCOPES in our training ME in looking @ plant tissue & ANGELA in looking @
human tissue. We are aware of the limitations of the Human Eye. Blake as a true
Poet is encouraging us to look through the Eye of the Soul and actually see Heaven
in a Wild Flower ! In the middle OCTAVE Blake berates those who would inflict captivity
& cruelty on animals ~ very prevalent in the 18th & 19th Century. In the final QUATRAIN
he focuses on the cruelty of hunting Wild Animals & Birds which is still prevalent today !
Blake was an Eco-Philosopher and e shunned the artificial divisions between the Sciences
and the Arts and the Head and the Heart ! Love ANGELA & BRIAN ๐งก๐๐งก๐๐งก๐