Showing results by author "William Blake" in All Categories

Songs of Innocence and of Experience pairs luminous, childlike wonder with sharp, unsettling truth. In the first half, innocence speaks through images of lambs, children, and quiet faith in a world that feels gentle and protected. In the second, that vision cracks open—revealing a darker reality shaped by poverty, authority, and human suffering. Through deceptively simple poems and unforgettable images, the collection explores how joy and cruelty, hope and corruption, innocence and knowledge all exist side by side.

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first...

With a dynamic spirit, these great English poets made a conscious return to nostalgia and spiritual depth. Each chose a different path, but they are united in a love of moods, impressions, scenes, stories, sights and sounds. In this collection of more than forty poems are some of the finest and most memorable works in the English language.

An anthology of over 60 classic love poems, read by some of our finest actors. Love has always been the supreme inspiration for poets, whether romantic or platonic, reciprocated or unrequited. This collection contains a range of the very best love poems, including Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress", Keats' "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" and Byron's "So We'll Go No More A-Roving" - as well as several sonnets from the master himself, William Shakespeare.

"Poems of William Blake" includes: "Songs of Innocence", "Songs of Experience" and "The Book of Thel". All three are volumes of poetry by the English poet and painter, William Blake. "The Book of Thel" is a poem by William Blake, dated 1789 and probably worked on in the period 1788 to 1790. It was illustrated by his own plates, and is relatively short and easy to understand, compared to his later prophetic works. The metre is a fourteen syllable line.

The language of Poetry is an art that most of us attempt at some point in our lives. Although its commonplace exposure has been somewhat marginalised in today’s often fast-paced lives we all recognise good verse that can empathise with our thoughts or open us up to experience new things in new ways, to better understand and to enjoy the many strands of our lives.

The epic poem Jerusalem was in Blake's own opinion his masterpiece. It is the last of the great prophetic books. Originally produced as an engraved book of 100 pages (only one copy of which was every fully finished in the colouring), the poem develops and unifies many of the themes Blake had been exploring in earlier works. It is a complex and powerful work, full of dramatic imagery and sublime poetry. You might think of it like a poetic version of a Wagner opera. The edition read here is the first printed version of the poem - which was impossibly hard to read in the original. This then was ...

Dance with a lobster, telephone an elephant or knock on a moonlit door - this collection includes magical, macabre, dramatic, funny, bizarre, absurd, delightful, moving and charming poems by Lewis Carroll, A.A. Milne, Edward Lear, Hilaire Belloc, Kenneth Grahame and many others. Readers such as Anton Lesser, Simon Russell-Beale and Timothy West bring the lines beautifully to life and make this an ideal introduction to some of the best-loved children's poetry.

Milton: a Poem is an epic poem by William Blake, written and illustrated between 1804 and 1810. Its hero is John Milton, who returns from heaven and unites with Blake to explore the relationship between living writers and their predecessors. While on earth, Milton also unites with his feminine aspect, Ololon. The poem describes progress toward the apocalyptic union of living and dead, internal and external reality, and male and female. (Summary from Wikipedia).

In this volume the English language reveals itself in a scale and depth that few others can compare with. It seems to be an advantage to be able to choose from over a million words and yet, it is not the words but the way in which they are used that resonate with us all. Is there some bond between the English and writing poetry? Maybe, maybe not, but let us celebrate these poems down the ages, not as one nation’s hoard but humanity’s gift.

Discover the heartbeat of American poetry through 101 Great American Poems — a carefully curated collection that spans centuries of voices. From the reflective verses of Anne Bradstreet to the bold rhythms of Langston Hughes, this anthology captures the soul of a nation through themes of love, loss, freedom, and hope. Tracing a journey from Puritan resolve to the artistic fervor of the Harlem Renaissance, these poems invite readers to explore America's evolving identity across generations and genres.

Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, Blake, Coleridge, and Byron. The poets of the Romantic Period celebrated with readings by Sir Ralph Richardson, Christopher Hassall, Margaretta Scott, and Tyrone Power.

Classic Poems for Boys comprises a delightfully varied set of over 20 poems for 5- to 10-year olds. From rousing favorites like Felicia Dorothea Hemans’ "Casabianca" and John Keats’ "A Song About Myself", to dreamy, thoughtful poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Rudyard Kipling, this is a collection to be treasured.

At the end of his life, William Blake (1757-1827) gave up hope of being widely understood, but the twentieth century brought to his work a new and intense interest and acclaim.

Composed between 1790 and 1793 during a time of radical change and political upheaval following the French Revolution, Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a provocative exploration of duality in the cosmos. The title serves as an ironic nod to Emanuel Swedenborgs earlier theological work, Heaven and Hell, which Blake critiques throughout his text. While Swedenborgs grand, mystical vision influenced Blake, the poet sought to transcend conventional moral dichotomies, presenting a unified and depolarized universe where the material world and physical desires are embraced as integral to the divine ...

Embark on a profound exploration of spirituality through four transformative works. From the death and rebirth of a living land in England/Albion to the apocalyptic visions of the Book of Revelations, this journey traverses the depths of the soul. Discover the insights from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and Dantes epic odyssey through Hell and Purgatory, culminating in a divine reunion with his beloved Beatrice and God. Here, you will uncover four pathways to save your soul, rejuvenate a scarred land, and step into the New Jerusalem. - Summary by Tony Addison

Charles Dickens ist ein Könner der Unterhaltung mit Tiefgang, Humor und kritischem Engagement, sein Roman „Oliver Twist", vielfach verfilmt, bleibt ein Standardwerk der Moderne. Das gilt auch für das naturalistische Drama „Fräulein Julie" von August Strindberg aus dem Jahr 1888, in dem der Schwede den Sprengstoff des Herzens und den Sprengstoff des Klassenkampfes auf der Bühne explodieren lässt.

Delve into the enchanting world of delicate poetry that echoes the simplicity of song lyrics while hinting at deeper, transcendent realities. This collection captures the diverse voices of children, animals, parents, and narrators, guiding us through the poignant journey from a childs innocent wonder to an adults profound understanding. As the companion volumes explore this inevitable passage, they reveal the risks and challenges that can lead to unhealthy attitudes. While Blake critiques human institutions of education, he also highlights the fortunate few who discover wholesome paths from ...

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by the English poet William Blake consists of a series of texts written in the style of biblical prophecy but expressing Blake's own beliefs. Composed between 1790 and 1793, the book makes reference to Milton and Swedenborg, and adopts a device from Dante's Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost: a visit to hell. Blake expresses a deliberately depolarized and unified vision of the cosmos in which the material world and physical desire are both part of the divine order.

It is often said that two things are unavoidable: death and taxes. Certainly the latter is a common thorn in adult life, but as to the former it seems that for many people it is merely a hiccup in life’s journey. A journey they wish, if being of good deed and character, to share at the eternity of heaven’s largesse, a reward for faith and the obligations of religion. Of course for those not so fortunate an altogether different experience was prepared for them: hell. Its nightmare visions are so terrifying, conjured up by Dante, Milton, Blake, Baudelaire and many others.