Page:The poetical works of William Blake; a new and verbatim text from the manuscript engraved and letterpress originals (1905).djvu/351

Poems from Letters 305 IV With happiness stretch'd across the hills i In a cloud that dewy sweetness distills ; With a blue sky spread over with wings, And a mild Sun that mounts & sings ; With trees & fields full of Fairy elves, 5 And little devils who fight for themselves — Rememb'ring the Verses that Hayley sung When my heart knock'd against the root of my tongue — With Angels planted in Hawthorn bowers, And God himself in the passing hours; lo With Silver Angels across my way, And Golden demons that none can stay ; With my Father hovering upon the wind, And my Brother Robert just behind, And my Brother John, the evil one, 15 In a black cloud making his mone, — Tho' dead, they appear upon my path, Notwithstanding my terrible wrath ; ^ They beg, they intreat, they drop their tears, Fill'd full of hopes, fill'd full of fears— 20 With a thousand Angels upon the Wind, Pouring disconsolate from behind To drive them off, & before my way A frowning Thistle implores my stay. What to others a trifle appears 25 Fills me full of smiles or tears ; These verses, written in two columns in a postscript to a letter dated 'Felpham, Nov"^ 22, 1802,' Blake says 'were Composed above a twelve- month ago while Walking from Felpham to Lavant to meet my Sister,' Printed by all editors except Shepherd. WMR and EY entitle 'Verses,' WBY, * Los the Terrible.' , 4 Cp. Jerusalem, f. 19, 11. 43, 44 : — ' In a sweet moony night & silence that they had created, With a blue sky spread over with wings and a mild moon.' 7, 8 These two lines are written sideways in the margin, with the note : — ' These 2 lines were omitted when transcribing & ought to come in at x ' (i. e. after line 6, the position being also indicated by Blake's catchword 'Rememb'ring'). 16 See note to ' Mad Song ' {Poetical Sketches), 1. 17.