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William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 / London)
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A Little Boy Lost
Nought loves another as itself,
Nor venerates another so,
Nor is it possible to thought
A greater than itself to know.
'And, father, how can I love you
Or any of my brothers more?
I love you like the little bird
That picks up crumbs around the door.'
The Priest sat by and heard the child;
In trembling zeal he seized his hair,
He led him by his little coat,
And all admired the priestly care.
And standing on the altar high,
'Lo, what a fiend is here! said he:
'One who sets reason up for judge
Of our most holy mystery.'
The weeping child could not be heard,
The weeping parents wept in vain:
They stripped him to his little shirt,
And bound him in an iron chain,
And burned him in a holy place
Where many had been burned before;
The weeping parents wept in vain.
Are such thing done on Albion's shore?
Read poems about / on: child, father, hair, lost, love, children, brother
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Just in tears.... Seeing the cruelty of man that stems from literarilism of fundamentalism
i remember reading love your neighbor as yourself..
since we all originate from the same ultimate source..
and no man is without sin..a well written poem!
Great poem
I don't care for this poem...see enough of terrible stuff on daily news, don't really
need it my poetry readings. Constance
religion/homophobia/mother was catholic, married C of E her sister married a Jew. In England through the ages religion has been involved, thank god(no pun intended) its starting to abate
What strong and perfect references - I love Blake's style.
Too bad freedom isnt' always free. On the other hand, not everyone is bound to reason.
The first two lines are a rebuttal of Jesus’ “love your neighbour as yourself.” The second two lines a rebuttal of metaphysical religion. The third two lines echo Cordelia's reply to King Lear when he asks what can she say to outdo her sisters’ exaggerated declarations of love for him:
Cordelia: Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth: I love your Majesty
According to my bond, no more nor less
The reasonableness of Cordelia condemns her in the eyes of Lear. And the child is condemned for its reasonableness (in Blake’s eyes) by the Church which will condemn the child to eternity in the fires of Hell for it. The spirit of the Enlightenment is in this poem.
Love is love whether it is self love or natural love! How can a boy be selfless in love without the growth of knowledge and wisdom so early? Love itself is an individual emotional feeling which is believed to be a 'holy mystery'! Without loving oneself how can one love family and others in the world? A little boy is an innocent being! Such an extreme punishment of burning alive to death is no love at all in any sense! Natural love is real love which everyone should understand and practise in life to know the awesome nature of this holy mystery ever!
This reminds me of my poem 'Little Boy'
yes, such things ARE done on Albion's shore and everywhere else in the world. we have all come a long way since Blake but it seems all the 'development' and changes that have taken place are only an illusion. we have not changed. nothing has changed. Blake's world is our world and vice-versa. the only difference is that he mourned the loss of innocence and we are totally indifferent to it.Alas! what a gory state of affairs!
Blake's prophecies were not the product of an insane, crazy mind. we are all living in hell and we don't even realize that!
humanoids.