Resumo de The Divine Image

The most famous of Blake's lyrical poems is Auguries of Innocence, with its memorable opening stanza: To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

BLake, William (born. Nov. 28, 1757, London--died. Aug. 12, 1827, London)
English poet, painter, engraver; one of the earliest and greatest figures of
Romanticism. "I do not behold the outward creation... it is a hindrance and not action." Thus
William Blake--painter, engraver, and poet--explained why his work was filled with
religious visions rather than with subjects from everyday life. Few people in his time
realized that Blake expressed these visions with a talent that approached genius.

He lived in near poverty and died unrecognized. Today, however, Blake is acclaimed
one of England's great figures of art and literature and one of the most inspired and
original painters of his time.
Blake was born on Nov. 28, 1757, in London. His father ran a hosiery shop. William,
the third of five children, went to school only long enough to learn to read and write,
and then he worked in the shop until he was 14. When he saw the boy's talent for
drawing, Blake's father apprenticed him to an engraver. At 25 Blake married Catherine Boucher. He taught her to read and write and to help
him in his work. They had no children. They worked together to produce an edition of
Blake's poems and drawings, called Songs of Innocence. Blake engraved both words
and pictures on copper printing plates. Catherine made the printing impressions,
hand-colored the pictures, and bound the books. The books sold slowly, for a few
shillings each. Today a single copy is worth many thousands of dollars. Blake's fame as an artist and engraver rests largely on a set of 21 copperplate
etchings to illustrate the Book of Job in the Old Testament. However, he did much
work for which other artists and engravers got the credit. Blake was a poor
businessman, and he preferred to work on subjects of his own choice rather
than on those that publishers assigned him. A follower of Emanuel Swedenborg, who offered a gentle and mystic interpretation
of Christianity, Blake wrote poetry that largely reflects Swedenborgian views.
Songs of Innocence (1789) shows life as it seems to innocent children.
Songs of Experience (1794) tells of a mature person's realization of pain and terror
in the universe. This book contains his famous `Tiger! Tiger! Burning Bright'.
Milton (1804-08) and Jerusalem (1804-20) are longer and more obscure works.
Blake died on Aug. 12, 1827.
The Divine Image
To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love All pray in their distress; And to these virtues of delight Return their thankfulness.
For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love Is God, our father dear, And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love Is Man, his child and care.
For Mercy has a human heart, Pity a human face, And Love, the human form divine, And Peace, the human dress.
Then every man, of every clime, That prays in his distress, Prays to the human form divine, Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace.
And all must love the human form, In heathen, Turk, or Jew; Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell There God is dwelling too.

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