William Blake: Selected Poems

At the end of his life, William Blake (1757-1827) gave up hope of being widely understood, but the 20th century has brought to his work intense interest and acclaim. Included in this collection are well-known poems such as "Tyger! Tyger! burning bright" and "A Poison Tree"; longer poems such as "The Everlasting Gospel"; Blake's principal prose work, "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"; and an assortment of epigrams and short satire. Poet, artist, and mystic, Blake wrote, "I must Create a System or be enslav'd by another Man's." Create, he did.

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The soulful mysticism of Blake-captured in a definitive new collection of his finest verse

Writer and religious rebel, William Blake sowed the seeds of Romanticism in his innovative poems concerning faith and the vision that inspired him throughout his remarkable life. Whether describing his own spirituality, the innocence of youth, or the corruption caused by mankind, his writings depict a world in which spirits dominate and the mind is the gateway to Heaven. Presenting many of Blake's major works in their complete texts, alongside extensive passages from such poems as "Jerusalem" and "The Gates of Paradise," this collection spans his entire poetic life, from the exquisite lyrics of Poetic Sketches to Songs of Innocence and Experience-a compelling exploration of good and evil. Together, they illuminate a self-made realm that has fascinated artists and poets as diverse as Wordsworth, Coleridge, Yeats, and Ginsberg. This is the perfect introduction to Blake's unforgettable poetry.

William Blake (1757-1827) was a British poet, painter, engraver, and visionary mystic who proclaimed the supremacy of the imagination over the rationalism and materialism of the eighteenth century.
G. E. Bentley, Jr., has taught at the University of Chicago and the University of Toronto and is an authority on Blake and his world.