by William Blake (1757 - 1827)
Why cannot the Ear be closed to its own...
Language: English
Why cannot the Ear be closed to its own destruction? Or the glist'ning Eye to the poison of a smile? Why are Eyelids stor'd with arrows ready drawn, Where a thousand fighting men in ambush lie? Or an Eye of gifts and graces show'ring fruits and coined gold? Why a Tongue impress'd with honey from every wind? Why an Ear, a whirlpool fierce to draw creations in? Why a Nostril wide inhaling terror, trembling, and affright? Why a tender curb upon the youthful burning boy? Why a little curtain of flesh on the bed of our desire?
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Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), appears in The Book of Thel [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Roger Smalley (b. 1943), "Why cannot the Ear be closed to its own destruction?
", 1968, published 1969?, first performed 1968 [soprano, tenor, chorus, and orchestra], from The Song of the Highest Tower, London : Faber Music [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-01-24
Line count: 10
Word count: 97