by William Blake (1757 - 1827)

The Voice of the Ancient Bard
 (Sung text for setting by J. Frandsen)
 Matches original text
Language: English 
Youth of delight, come hither,
And see the opening morn,
Image of truth new-born.
Doubt is fled, and clouds of reason,
Dark disputes and artful teasing.
Folly is an endless maze,
Tangled roots perplex her ways.
How many have fallen there!
They stumble all night over bones of the dead,
And feel they know not what but care,
And wish to lead others, when they should be led.

Composition:

    Set to music by John Frandsen (b. 1956), "The Voice of the Ancient Bard", 1991 [ voice and guitar ], from Songs of Experience, no. 1, confirmed with a CD booklet

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 11
Word count: 68