2. Sir William Blake was an English poet, printmaker,
and painter. He is one of the most famous poets of
the Romantic Age. Most of Blakeâs contemporaries
considered him mad. William was the 3rd child out
of 7. He left school at 10 years old after learning
reading and writing. He used the Bible as a source
of inspiration throughout his life. His poems are
known all over the World still, to this day. He has
had a huge impact on history.
A Little Bit Of Bio on William
3. Ah Sunflower
Ah Sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun;
Seeking after that sweet golden
clime
Where the traveller's journey is done;
Where the Youth pined away with
desire,
And the pale virgin shrouded in
snow,
Arise from their graves, and aspire
Where my Sunflower wishes to go!
William Blake
This poem is about a sunflower
which represents a man who who is
longing to be in a better place. The
sunflower (the man) wants to follow
the sun toward the West, as
flowerâs blossomâs follow the Sun
across the sky. The sunflower
hopes to get away from frustration
and restriction. The sunflowerâs
goal is to reach peach in this new,
better place.
4. I Heard an Angel
I heard an Angel singing
When the day was springing
âMercy, Pity, Peace
Is the worldâs release.â
Thus he sung all day
Over the new mown hay,
Till the sun went down
And haycocks looked brown.
I heard a Devil curse
Over the health and the furze,
âMercy could be no more,
If there was nobody poor,
And pity no more could be,
If all we happy as we.
At his curse the sun went down,
And the heavens gave a frown.
Down poured the heavy rain
Over the new reaped grainâŠ
And Miseries' increase
Is Mercy, Pity, Peace.
William Blake
In this poem, Blake uses
âMercy, Pity, Peaceâ to tell an
Angel how to make to world a
better place. William says in
his poem that if everyone were
rich, and there was no such
thing as poverty, then the
world would be a happy place
and we would not need
âMercy, Pity, Peace. This
contradicts the fact that even
rich people do need mercy. It
also say that the âheavens
gave a frownâ. This is a symbol
for God frowning down on us
for taking the Devilâs advice.
But when the âheavy rainâ
came, God forgave us for our
sins and let us have a chance
for a new beginning.
5. William Blakeâs Death
âą Because William Blake lived in
poverty, he was misunderstood
throughout his life. As a painter,
poet, and printmaker, much of
his work was never appreciated.
He did hundreds and poems
throughout his life. He started a
series of illustrations made of
watercolor that would be cut
short due to his death. William
Blake died on August 12, 1827.
But it seemed that every year
that passed after his death, his
work became more and more
famous. And now, on this day,
he is one of the most famous
poets in history.
