The Human Abstract Poem by William Blake
The Human Abstract
Pity would be no more
If we did not make somebody Poor;
And Mercy no more could be
If all were as happy as we.
And mutual fear brings peace,
Till the selfish loves increase:
Then Cruelty knits a snare,
And spreads his baits with care.
He sits down with holy fears,
And waters the grounds with tears;
Then Humility takes its root
Underneath his foot.
Soon spreads the dismal shade
Of Mystery over his head;
And the Catterpiller and Fly
Feed on the Mystery.
And it bears the fruit of Deceit,
Ruddy and sweet to eat;
And the Raven his nest has made
In its thickest shade.
The Gods of the earth and sea
Sought thro' Nature to find this Tree;
But their search was all in vain:
There grows one in the Human Brain.
does that mean that we have to make people poor in order to have pity
In a way. But I think it is more trying to say that we wouldn't need to have pity " if we did not make somebody poor" . At first I read it like it was someone's excuse for creating poverty but it now to me sounds more like pity is a short term solution to poverty and William Blake is trying to get us to realise that it should be stopped.
Can anyone explain why William spelled caterpillar incorrectly? I've checked several sites and noticed it is spelled wrong in all of them. Anyone know why? This is an amazing poem though.
oops! I thought it was a typo by poemhunter! Thanks for the info in a way of a question.
Personally, I can't say anything except 'William Blake is a real artist & poet! ! '. While reading your poems, I realize and understand the real meaning of poetry. 10 Indeed. Merna...
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/24/2024 5:19:03 AM # 1.0.0.1119
any body read the giver it goes perfectly with this
Im reading it in class right now