Hear the voice of the Bard! Who Present, Past, and Future see; Whose ears have heard the Holy Word That walked among the ancient trees, Calling the lapsed Soul And weeping in the evening dew That might control the starry pole, And fallen, fallen light renew! "O earth, O earth, return! Arise from out the dewy grass; Night is worn, and [the morn]1 rises from the slumbering mass. "Turn away no more; Why wilt thou turn away? The starry floor, the watery shore, Is given thee till break of day."
Seven Songs of William Blake, Set II
Song Cycle by Gary Michael Higginson (b. 1952)
1. The voice of wisdom and Earth's answer [sung text not yet checked]
Note: this is a multi-text setting
Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "Introduction", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Experience, no. 1, first published 1794
See other settings of this text.
View original text (without footnotes)1 Mitchell: morning
Researcher for this page: Victoria Brago
Earth rais'd up her head From the darkness dread and drear. Her light fled, Stony dread! And her locks cover'd with grey despair. "Prison'd on wat'ry shore, Starry Jealousy does keep my den: Cold and hoar, Weeping o'er, I hear the Father of the Ancient Men. "Selfish Father of Men! Cruel, jealous, selfish Fear! Can delight, Chain'd in night, The virgins of youth and morning bear? "Does spring hide its joy When buds and blossoms grow? Does the sower Sow by night, Or the ploughman in darkness plough? "Break this heavy chain That does freeze my bones around. Selfish! vain! Eternal bane! That free Love with bondage bound."
Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "Earth's answer", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Experience, no. 2, first published 1794
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]2. The shepherd  [sung text not yet checked]
How sweet is the Shepherd's sweet lot! From the morn to the evening he strays; He shall follow his sheep all the day, And his tongue shall be fillèd with praise. For he hears the lamb's innocent call, And he hears the ewe's tender reply; He is watchful [while]1 they are in peace, For they know when their Shepherd is nigh.
Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "The shepherd", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Innocence, no. 2, first published 1789
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El pastor", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
1 Cooke: "when"
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
3. Nurse's song  [sung text not yet checked]
When the voices of children are heard on the green And laughing is heard on the hill, My heart is at rest within my breast And everything else is still. "Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down And the dews of night arise; Come, come, leave off play, and let us away Till the morning appears in the skies." "No, no, let us play, for it is yet day And we cannot go to sleep; Besides, in the sky the little birds fly And the hills are all cover'd with sheep." "Well, well, go & play till the light fades away And then go home to bed." The little ones leaped & shouted & laugh'd And all the hills echoed.
Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "Nurse's song", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Innocence, no. 16, first published 1789
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]4. Little boy lost  [sung text not yet checked]
``Father! father! where are you going? O do not walk so fast. Speak, father, speak to your little boy, Or else I shall be lost.'' The night was dark, no father was there; The child was wet with dew; The mire was deep, & the child did weep, And away the vapour flew.
Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "The little boy lost", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Innocence, no. 8, first published 1789
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this page: Ahmed E. Ismail5. Little fly  [sung text not yet checked]
Little Fly, Thy summer's play My thoughtless hand Has brush'd away. Am not I A fly like thee? Or art not thou A man like me? For I dance And drink & sing: Till some blind hand Shall brush my wing. If thought is life And strength & breath And the want Of thought is death; Then am I A happy fly, If I live, Or if I die.
Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "The fly", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Experience, no. 10, first published 1794
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "La mouche", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- RUS Russian (Русский) [singable] (Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov) , "Мотылёк", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
6. Tyger, tyger  [sung text not yet checked]
Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare sieze the fire? And what shoulder, & what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand? & what dread feet? What the hammer? what the chain, In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? what dread grasp, Dare its deadly terrors clasp! When the stars threw down their spears And water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee? Tyger Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "The tyger", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Experience, no. 12, first published 1794
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El tigre", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- CHI Chinese (中文) [singable] (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le tigre", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Walter A. Aue) , "Der Tiger", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Thomas F. Schubert) , "Der Tiger", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- RUS Russian (Русский) [singable] (Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov) , "Тигр", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
7. The voice of the ancient bard  [sung text not yet checked]
Hear the voice of the Bard! Who Present, Past, and Future see; Whose ears have heard the Holy Word That walked among the ancient trees, Calling the lapsed Soul And weeping in the evening dew That might control the starry pole, And fallen, fallen light renew! "O earth, O earth, return! Arise from out the dewy grass; Night is worn, and [the morn]1 rises from the slumbering mass. "Turn away no more; Why wilt thou turn away? The starry floor, the watery shore, Is given thee till break of day."
Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "Introduction", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Experience, no. 1, first published 1794
See other settings of this text.
View original text (without footnotes)1 Mitchell: morning
Researcher for this page: Victoria Brago