The Ecchoing Green

[dailybitsofwisdom]

The Sun does arise,
And make happy the skies.
The merry bells ring
To welcome the Spring.
The skylark and thrush,
The birds of the bush,
Sing louder around,
To the bells’ cheerful sound,
While our sports shall be seen
On the Ecchoing Green.

Old John with white hair
Does laugh away care,
Sitting under the oak,
Among the old folk.
They laugh at our play,
And soon they all say:
“Such, such were the joys
When we all, girls and boys,
In our youth-time were seen
On the Ecchoing Green.”

Till the little ones weary
No more can be merry;
The sun does descend,
And our sports have an end.
Round the laps of their mother
Many sisters and brothers,
Like birds in their nest,
Are ready for rest;
And sport no more seen
On the darkening Green.

WILLIAM BLAKE
England • 1757-1827

Largely ignored in his time, William Blake was a poet, painter, and printmaker. While he lived his whole life in London, his works are greatly diverse focusing on topics such as “the body of God” and “Human existence itself.” Blake’s work contains such complex symbolism most critics have a hard time classifying his art; although most say it falls into the Romantic Age. He was chastised during his life for standing against organized religion and followed his own mythology that combined themes from the Bible and ancient Greek texts.