Vintage Blake Poems selected by Patti Smith

by William Blake, Patti Smith

Selection of William Blake poems introduced and selected by Patti Smith

Genres: Poetry

172 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2007

About the author

William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake's work is today considered seminal and significant in the history of both poetry and the visual arts.

Blake's prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the language". His visual artistry has led one modern critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced." Although he only once travelled any further than a day's walk outside London over the course of his life, his creative vision engendered a diverse and symbolically rich corpus, which embraced 'imagination' as "the body of God", or "Human existence itself".

Once considered mad for his idiosyncratic views, Blake is highly regarded today for his expressiveness and creativity, and the philosophical and mystical currents that underlie his work. His work has been characterized as part of the Romantic movement, or even "Pre-Romantic", for its largely having appeared in the 18th century. Reverent of the Bible but hostile to the established Church, Blake was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American revolutions, as well as by such thinkers as Emanuel Swedenborg.

Despite these known influences, the originality and singularity of Blake's work make it difficult to classify. One 19th century scholar characterised Blake as a "glorious luminary", "a man not forestalled by predecessors, nor to be classed with contemporaries, nor to be replaced by known or readily surmisable successors."

Reviews

[Justin Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of William Blake's poetry compiled by the iconic musician Patti Smith was a very good read.

[Mack]

i am not going to rate this because it simply wasn’t for me but i do have some impressions:

Blake said “kids rights!”
loved the horny nature poems
hated all the drawn out religious and classical nonsense

my favorite poem was about how church would be better if they would light a fire and serve some ale.

[Zara Chauvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really loved some! I like the way Blake relates to god and the holy in nature and little quotidienne experiences.

Some other poems though, of extended descriptions of pestilential hellscapes or historical battlefields etc., read as ‘words’ rather than poetry or prose to me. I just don’t connect.

[stella]

what undiagnosed schizophrenia does to a man

[Jason Wilson]

William Blake isn’t always thought of as one of the Romantic poets, but his work is deeply infused with Romanticism. This is especially true of the Romantic movement’s critique of the enlightenment. The great intellectual gains were recognised, but reason alone, untempered by imagination , the capacity to imagine new horizons and enjoy the aesthetic in life would be arid, unlovely and trapped in a circle .

Blake carries this into the social concerns of Victorian literature in a way the perhaps informs later works such as Hard Times. Songs of innocence reflects early childhood; carefree yet unformed by imagination. Beneath this veneer, though , Blake’s scathing critique of childhood poverty is simmering. In Songs of Experience it gets free reign : the poetry is beautiful , and it’s also angry at the exploitation and suppression of children and adults , the Mind forg’d manacles. The lamb and the tyger are the dramatic counterpoints; the lamb must be the product of benevolence, the origins of the saturnine tyger may not be guessed. Did he who made the lamb, make thee? Where did this come from ?

Blake’s answer to this isn’t easy to fathom - there is a sense of Christian redemption , but from what ? Are we fallen here, or is divine truth as he sees it dualistic ? Blake’s core philosophy , though, is that all humans share the prophetic and poetic sensibility gifted to man by the divine; not for him the intellectual elitism of the enlightenment. This means that he broadly sees all belief in the transcendent as stemming from the same source. His Urizen mythology essentially shows the need for reason and imagination to walk hand in hand. This aspect of his work is complex , but it does place Blake in the company of some of the great myth makers of fantasy fiction and should be better known. Some of this perhaps answers the lamb and tyger dilemma but much is still mysterious .

But agree with his views or not, and I don’t chime with his view of divinity though I can certainly share many of his other views, his poetry is a beautiful, angry , mystery.

[Camilia Carbonnelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore the work of William Blake. His writing is like music, in the sense that reading his poems is an experience of emotions and feelings that is enchanting. His view on religion at the time and his view on love and loss is beautiful. He is one of my favourite poets by far.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gifted this book for my confirmation and it took me about 3 years to finish so i must say reading it has been kind of a coming of age experience for me. Especially enjoyed the poems about each of the seasons and the letters at the end. Also I love Patti Smith so that introduction and the tought of her picking out the poems was just lovely. Here are some of mye favorite quotes:

♡(From the introdution) "William Blake writes 'all is holy'. That includes the book you are holding and the hand that holds it."

♡(To The Evening Star) "while thou drawest the/Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew/On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes (...) speak silence with thy glimmery eyes"

♡(To Spring) "scatter thy pearls/Upon our love-sick land that mourns for thee"

♡(To Summer) "Rode o'er the deep of heaven; beside our springs/Sit down, and in our mossy valleys, on/Some bank beside a river clear, throw thy/Silk draperies off, and rush into the stream:/Our vallies love the summer in his pride."

♡(To Autumn) "stained with the blood of the grape. (...) And all the daughters of the year shall dance! (...) The narrow bud opens her beauties to/The sun, and love runs in her thrilling veins"

♡(To Winter) "In ribbed steel; I dare not lift mine eyes,/For he hath rear'd his sceptre o'er the world. (...) With storms; till heaven smiles"

♡(Song) "He shew'd me lilies for my hair (...) With sweet May dews my wings were wet,/He caught me in his silken net,/And shut me in his golden cage. (...) Then strecthes out my golden wing/And mocks my loss of liberty."

♡(To The Muses) "Whether in Heav'n ye wander fair,/Or the green corners of the earth,/Or the blue regions of the air/Where the melodious winds have birth"

♡(Song) "And rising glories beam around my head (...) Like as an angel glitt'ring in the sky/In times of innocence and holy joy;/The joyful shepherd stops his grateful song/To hear the music of an angel's tongue//So when she speaks, the voice of Heaven I hear;/ So when we walk , nothing impure comes near; Each field seems like Eden, and each calm retreat;/Each village seems the haunt of holy feet"

♡(Song) "And, while upon the wind your music floats (...) And there I'll lie and dream/The day along:/And when night comes , I'll go (...) With silent melancholy"

♡(from King Edward the Third) "When the cries of blood tear horror from heav'n, (...) invisible chains, but heavy;/Their minds are fetter'd, then how can they be free? (...) they kiss'd the rocky shore (...) Thick as a forest, ready for the axe. (...) O how oft have they/Defy'd the storm that howled o'er their heads! (...) Liberty shall stand upon the cliffs of Albion/casting her blue eyes over the blue ocean"

♡(Prologue intended for a dramatic piece of King Edward the Fourt) "O for a voice like thunder, and a tongue/To drown the throat of war! When the senses/Are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness,/Who can stand? When the souls of the oppressed/Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?"

[Gareth Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great selection of Blake, not just poetry but letters and art too. A good introduction. Would have benefitted from a short glossary of the characters that often crop up from Blake’s imagination.
Overall, a super introduction to the many aspects of Blake’s creativity without feeling overwhelming.
Thoroughly recommended.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Studied for English Literature Alevel
Fav poems- The School boy

[Scott Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I want, I want”

[Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

some of the most beautiful words ever written, need him to explain to me what angels look like because my guy was clearly spiritually in touch

[Hilary Keys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great parts and some…confusing. 😅. Good brain stretch.

[Prox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly challenging because of old english and less currently relevant diction choices, very interesting inclusion of illustrations. Probably the most "queer" I've seen Blake, as a lot of poems in this selection have been choice in analysis that has led some to conclude he himself was queer and/or an ally to the early homosexual movement, and shows support for prostitution. Overall very inspiring by means of challenge for my own writing endeavors, so great choice if you have this intent/interest. Not personally a fan of Patti Smith's introductory review/profiling of Blake.

[Cole Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

a really beautiful selection from patti smith, encompassing "songs" but also excerpts from longer works, his visual art, handwritten pieces, and letters. the foreword is also brilliant.