Redtree Times

Written In the Wind– At Principle Gallery

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

These are the first four lines of a poem, Auguries of Innocence, from William Blake. It was written in 1803 but not published until 1863, 36 years after Blake’s death in 1827. These first lines point out the interconnectedness of all things, that all living things possess meaning in the grand scheme. These four lines might well be the best-known lines of Blake’s work but is much beyond those four lines in this piece.

The poem serves as a plea for compassion and empathy as well as a warning (an augury is an omen) against cruelty and deception, pointing out that these harm not only the offended but also damages the offender and the rest of the world as a whole. It’s a wonderful piece filled with a multitude of notable couplets that speak to the cruelty and deception of our current time. For example:

A Truth thats told with bad intent
Beats all the Lies you can invent

To twist and manipulate a truth for less than honorable gain weakens society and demeans us all. Or there’s this:

He who shall teach the Child to Doubt
The rotting Grave shall neer get out

Or this:

A dog starvd at his Masters Gate
Predicts the ruin of the State

You get the idea, I’m sure. There’s a lot more to say about it but, in short, it’s a poem worth reading and hearing. I am sharing a marvelous reading of it from the actor Michael Sheen. I suggest reading along to it by clicking here which takes you to the poem at the Poetry Foundation site. I assure you that it is 6 minutes or so well spent.