2. WILLIAM BLAKE
About Blake: Blake’s Influences:
• Blake’s father had a great
influence on
when he was young and got him
into art school early
• At age 10 enrolled at Henry Par’s
draw-ing school
• Was first taught by William Ryland
• Later taught by James Basire
• Went to Westminster Abbey later
• At age 14 Blake was apprenticed
to a master engraver
Born: November 28th1757 in Soho, London England
Died: August 12th1827 in London from a undiagnosed
disease
Poet, Printmaker, Painter and was largely
recognized for his work
Now considered a seminal figure in history for
his poetry and visual arts of the Romantic age
Did not attend a whole lot of school but was further
educated by his mother
Blake was very religious and the bible and other
religious figures such as Ezekiel Influenced his works &
experienced visions at an early age
Blake’s Works:
At age 10 sketched a human figure
Sketched tombs monuments at the Westminster Abbey
At age 21 Blake completed his first seven- year apprenticeship and became a journeyman copy engraver
Privately published poetical sketches in 1873 which was a collection of poems he had written
Taught his wife, Catherine, to color, draw, write, and read.
Most of Blake’s writings revolved around his brother after his brother’s death at age 24.
Painted watercolor painting on Dante, Shakespeare and Milton
Wrote over 100 poems
3. WILLIAM BLAKE’S COLLECTIONS
F-
• The fly
G-
• The Garden of Love
H-
• Holy Thursday
• The Human Abstract
I-
• Infant Joy
• Infant Sorrow
• Introduction to Songs of
Experience
L-
• The Lamb
• Laughing Song
• The Lily
• The Little Black Boy
• The Little Boy Found
• The Little Boy Lost
• The Little Girl Found
• The Little Girl
• The Little Vagabond
• London
A-
• Ah’ Sunflower
• The Angel
• “And did those feet”
B-
• The Blossom
• “Bring Me an Axe and Spade”
C-
• A Cradle Song
• The Clod and the Peddle
• The Chimney-Sweeper
D-
• The Divine Image
• A Dream
E-
• Earth’s Answer
• The Echoing Green
• Epigram
• Eternity
M-
• Mock on. Mock on. Voltaire
Rousseau
• My Pretty Rose-Tree
N-
• “Never Seek To Tell Thy Love”
• Night
• Nurses Song
O-
• On Another’s Sorrow
P-
• A Poison Tree
R-
• “The Rhine was Red”
S-
• The School Boy
• The Shepard
• The Sick Rose
• Song
• Spring
T-
• The Tiger
• To the accuser who is
the God of this World
• To the Muses
• “To see a World”
• To Tirzah
• The Wildflower’s Song
V-
• The Voice of the
Ancient Bard
4. THE WILDFLOWER’S SONG
The Wild Flower's Song:
• As I wandered the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard a Wild Flower
Singing a song.
'I slept in the earth
In the silent night,
I murmured my fears
And I felt delight.
'In the morning I went
As rosy as morn,
To seek for new joy;
But oh! met with scorn.'
By: William Blake
Summary:
The “Wildflowers Song” is
about Blake envisioning
himself walking through
the forest where the
flowers would sing to
him. In a sense he is in a
very peaceful happy
place and he does not
want to leave. He spoke
all of his fears because
he did not care and also
no one else was there.
But in the morning he left
and was seeking scorn
on the outside world.
Another words Blake
was in a fantasy in this
poem.
5. MEANING OF THE WILDFLOWERS SONG
• Happiness- The forest brought him great happiness
• Love- Blake loved to be in the forest
• Calm – Blake’s mind was very calm
• Peace- The forest was peaceful
• Thankfulness- Blake was thankful for the fantasy forest
• Sorrow- Wanted new joy but couldn’t find it
• Scorn- Going back to the “real world”
• Sadness – When leaving the forest with singing flowers
6. POETRY ELEMENTS
• Blake’s rhyming scheme flows somewhat throughout this poem but in some
of if (in the beginning) it doesn’t but it does toward the end which catches
the reader’s attention
• Blake’s alteration in “The Wild Flowers Song” was good he transitioned good
by providing that he sounded happy and then also upset by saying he was
in scorn
7. WILLIAM BLAKE FUN FACTS
• Blake was voted 38th in a poll of the 100 greatest painters and writers
• Blake often employed his visual art in concert to create a product that at
once defied and superseded convention
• Though he believed himself able to converse aloud with Old Testament
prophets, and despite his work in illustrating the Book of Job, Blake's
affection for the Bible was accompanied by hostility for the established
Church, his beliefs modified by a fascination with Mysticism and the
unfolding of the Romantic Movement around him.