Poemsby William Blake

The Schoolboy

The Voice of the Ancient Bard

To Terzah

 
 Whate'er is born of mortal birth
 Must be consumed with the earth,
 To rise from generation free:
 Then what have I to do with thee?
 The sexes sprang from shame and pride,
 Blown in the morn, in evening died;
 But mercy changed death into sleep;
 The sexes rose to work and weep.

 
 Thou, mother of my mortal part,
 With cruelty didst mould my heart,
 And with false self-deceiving tears
 Didst bind my nostrils, eyes, and ears,

 
 Didst close my tongue in senseless clay,
 And me to mortal life betray.
 The death of Jesus set me free:
 Then what have I to do with thee?

Contents

The Schoolboy

The Voice of the Ancient Bard