Thomas Humphry Ward, ed. The English Poets. 1880–1918.rnVol. III. The Eighteenth Century: Addison to Blake

William Blake (1757–1827)

Extracts from Songs of Experience: The Angel

I DREAMT a dream! What can it mean?

And that I was a maiden queen,

Guarded by an angel mild;

Witless woe was ne’er beguiled.

And I wept both night and day,

And he wiped my tears away;

And I wept both day and night,

And hid from him my heart’s delight.

So he took his wings and fled;

Then the morn blushed rosy red;

I dried my tears and armed my fears

With ten thousand shields and spears.

Soon my angel came again:

I was armed, he came in vain;

For the time of youth was fled,

And grey hairs were on my head.