William Blake

Selected Poems

By: William Blake

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

“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.” —from “Auguries of Innocence”

At the end of his life, William Blake gave up hope of being widely understood, but the twentieth century brought his work a new and intense interest and acclaim. A poet, artist, and mystic, Blake declared that “I must Create a System or be enslav’d by another Man’s.” And create he did.

Included in this collection are well-known poems such as “Tyger! Tyger! burning bright” and “A Poison Tree,” longer poems such as “The Everlasting Gospel,” an assortment of epigrams and short satire, and Blake’s principal prose work, “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.”

(P)1992 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Blake’s poetry is sexual grand opera of insta­bility, anguish, and resentment.”

(Camille Paglia, bestselling author of Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson)

“One of the most extraordinary persons of the age.”

(Charles Lamb)

“[A] man of Genius.”

(Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

“A glorious luminary…a man not forestalled by predecessors, nor to be classed with contemporaries, nor to be replaced by known or readily surmisable successors.”

(William Rossetti, nineteenth century scholar)

Classic Literature in an Easy to Digest Form

I greatly enjoyed the passages straight from letters from Blake to colleagues. Narrator is clear and concise. Easy to follow and entertaining to listen to.

The egotistical sublime!

Welcome to the NHK! Everyone's in a tizzy about what such and such contemporary poet said, or is worried (wearied?) that so 🤔 and so is "controversial" because of his or her "personal life".

I wonder how mad they would get if they listened to poets who lived 200 years ago!!!

A pivotal book

A wonderful book that I found to be developmental and maturative for a young man coming of age such as myself. I found this book to be worthwhile and generally intelligent and I found incredible relation with the author. I further highly recommend this book.

Even better listened to than read.

Earth’s Heavens and Hells addressed, explored, and celebrated in his clever verses. Very enjoyable listen. Four Stars ****

what a gift to listen to Blake

his tiger burns bright as it leaps from the page to the voice. who knew Blake could be sparky as well as ethereal. what a kick I got out of hearing him lambast Swinbourn