by William Blake (1757 - 1827)
The voice of the Bard See original
Language: English
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 morning 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."
Composition:
- Set to music by John Mitchell (b. 1941), "The voice of the Bard", op. 25 no. 1 (1977), from Visions from the Flame, no. 1
Text 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.
Researcher for this page: Victoria Brago
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 90