William Blake
To Thomas Butts
TO my friend Butts I write
My first vision of light
On the yellow sands sitting
The sun was emitting
His glorious beams
From Heaven’s high streams
Over sea, over land
My eyes did expand
Into regions of air
Away from all care
Into regions of fire
Remote from desire
The light of the morning
Heaven’s mountains adorning
In particles bright
The jewels of light
Distinct shone and clear
Amaz’d and in fear
I each particle gazèd
Astonish’d, amazèd
For each was a Man
Human-form’d. Swift I ran
For they beckon’d to me
Remote by the sea
Saying: ‘Each grain of sand
Every stone on the land
Each rock and each hill
Each fountain and rill
Each herb and each tree
Mountain, hill, earth, and sea
Cloud, meteor, and star
Are men seen afar.’
I stood in the streams
Of Heaven’s bright beams
And saw Felpham sweet
Beneath my bright feet
In soft Female charms
And in her fair arms
My Shadow I knew
And my wife’s Shadow too
And my sister, and friend
We like infants descend
In our Shadows on earth
Like a weak mortal birth
My eyes, more and more
Like a sea without shore
Continue expanding
The Heavens commanding
Till the jewels of light
Heavenly men beaming bright
Appear’d as One Man
Who complacent began
My limbs to enfold
In His beams of bright gold
Like dross purg’d away
All my mire and my clay
Soft consum’d in delight
In His bosom sun-bright
I remain’d. Soft He smil’d
And I heard His voice mild
Saying: ‘This is My fold
O thou ram horn’d with gold
Who awakest from sleep
On the sides of the deep
On the mountains around
The roarings resound
Of the lion and wolf
The loud sea, and deep gulf
These are guards of My fold
O thou ram horn’d with gold!’
And the voice faded mild
I remain’d as a child
All I ever had known
Before me bright shone
I saw you and your wife
By the fountains of life
Such the vision to me
Appear’d on the sea