BS: 250th anniversary William Blake

Subject: BS: 250th anniversary William Blake
From: Emma B
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 05:45 AM

"Blake was a poet and artist before he was anything else, and he worked as all writers and artists do, feeling his way through the medium (the words, the forms, the colours) to the truth.

He had the precious gift of expressing that complexity of thought in lines of unequalled force and limpid clarity:
It works as poetry always does, on the ear and in the mouth, before it lets itself be disentangled by the mind. There is some great poetry which works like that, but which when disentangled leaves little but a delicate fragrance."

from An English visionary
a tribute by Phillip Pullman writing in the New Statesman

The Sick Rose by William Blake

O Rose, thou art sick.
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

Subject: RE: BS: 250th anniversary William Blake
From: maeve
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 06:53 AM

Blake is one of my favorites. Thanks for posting this!

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: 250th anniversary William Blake
From: Rapparee
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 08:50 AM

Blake's the bloke, alright.

Subject: RE: BS: 250th anniversary William Blake
From: Amos
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 09:56 AM

Thanks for the reminder.

An awesome voice hidden behind a trellis, rigid in discipline and full of untrammeled fires. What a gift.


A

Subject: RE: BS: 250th anniversary William Blake
From: autolycus
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 10:09 AM

Happy birthday Mr. Blake.



   Interesting that one of his lyrics, Jerusalem, has become a patriotic hymn, while the birthday boy was a republican.


   Ivor

Subject: RE: BS: 250th anniversary William Blake
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 04:53 PM

I'm not entirely sure, given Blake's lasting legacy in verse and song, that this should be below the line.

On the other hand, if you've experienced the Middle Bar Singers' version of Jerusalem incorporated into "I am the music man" (along with the Dambusters, with actions), it probably does....

Kitty

Subject: RE: BS: 250th anniversary William Blake
From: Rowan
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 04:54 PM

Ivor, there are some who regard it merely as an upperclass folksong but, to take your point with a another snippet from Blake,

the road to Hell is paved with good intentions

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: 250th anniversary William Blake
From: Art Thieme
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 07:15 PM

Alas, see the Johnny Depp film---Dead Man!



;-)

Art

Subject: RE: BS: 250th anniversary William Blake
From: Schantieman
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 06:05 AM

On the subject of 'Jerusalem' (maybe this needs a separate thread?), many years ago I wrote a third verse to this hymn, one of my favourites, thinking that it needed it. I was then unaware of Blake's politics and though the verse might not fit the perceived ethos of the song as it's sung nowadays, maybe Blake would have approved?

I'm immodest enough to think that it deserves a wider audience, so I'd appreciate comments........ (and, if you like it, sing it!)


Jerusalem, verse 3

Words by Steve Freedman (after William Blake - about 230 years after; music by Hubert Parry)

And shall the joy be thus confined?
Cease at the bounds of England's shore?
Shall minds be closed and hearts unmoved
While mute starvation pleads for more?
This must not be - we shall fight on!
Our love extend, our greed destroy!
Then truly shall Jerusalem
The whole world o'er shout out her joy!

(c) S J Freedman c. 1985


Comments? New thread?

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: 250th anniversary William Blake
From: autolycus
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 01:42 PM

I wonder how the conservatives and toyalist who happily sing it, would make of your addition.

Rowan, not quite clear what you're saying via the 'Hell' quote.

   Ivor

Subject: RE: BS: 250th anniversary William Blake
From: Folk Form # 1
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 01:49 PM

Great illustrator, great poet, great republican. The song Jerusalem actually comes from a longer piece called "Milton" which has a prose preamble raging against the then war against France. Seen in that light, the poem is a protest poem, not a patriotic hymn. That it was set to music to rally the English during the Geat War is irony personified. Blake would have been horrified. After saying that, Parry's song moves me everytime I hear it. The sentiments remain true and do not lie.