Auguries of Innocence

Poem by William Blake

This article is about the poem by William Blake. For the book of the same name by Patti Smith, see Auguries of Innocence (poetry collection).

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"Auguries of Innocence" is a poem by William Blake, from a notebook of his known as the Pickering Manuscript.[1] It is assumed to have been written in 1803, but was not published until 1863 in the companion volume to Alexander Gilchrist's biography of Blake. The poem contains a series of paradoxes which speak of innocence juxtaposed with evil and corruption. It consists of 132 lines and has been published with and without breaks dividing it into stanzas. An augury is a sign or omen.

The poem begins:

> 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[2]

> — Lines 1–4

It continues with a catalogue of moralising couplets, such as:

> A Robin Red breast in a Cage
>  Puts all Heaven in a Rage[2]

> — Lines 5–6

and:

> The wanton Boy that kills the Fly
>  Shall feel the Spiders enmity[2]

> — Lines 33–34

## References

[edit]

English Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Auguries of Innocence

English Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Pickering Manuscript

1. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Online. "The Pickering Manuscript." online. accessed 13 December 2010.
2. ^ a b c Blake, William (1988). Erdman, David V. (ed.). The Complete Poetry and Prose (Newly revised ed.). Anchor Books. p. 490. ISBN 0385152132.

* The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 1986, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press

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William Blake

Literary works

| Early writings|

* Poetical Sketches
* An Island in the Moon
* All Religions are One
* There is No Natural Religion

|

Songs of Innocence
and of Experience|

| Songs of Innocence|

* The Shepherd
* The Ecchoing Green
* The Lamb
* The Little Black Boy
* The Blossom
* The Chimney Sweeper
* The Little Boy Lost
* The Little Boy Found
* Laughing Song
* A Cradle Song
* The Divine Image
* Holy Thursday
* Night
* Spring
* Nurse's Song
* Infant Joy
* A Dream
* On Another's Sorrow

|

Songs of Experience|

* Introduction
* Earth's Answer
* The Clod and the Pebble
* Holy Thursday
* The Little Girl Lost
* The Little Girl Found
* The Chimney Sweeper
* Nurse's Song
* The Sick Rose
* The Fly
* The Angel
* The Tyger
* My Pretty Rose Tree
* Ah! Sun-flower
* The Lilly
* The Garden of Love
* The Little Vagabond
* London
* The Human Abstract
* Infant Sorrow
* A Poison Tree
* A Little Boy Lost
* A Little Girl Lost
* To Tirzah
* The School Boy
* The Voice of the Ancient Bard
* A Divine Image (found only in Copy BB)

Prophetic
books|

| The continental
prophecies|

* America a Prophecy
* Europe a Prophecy
* The Song of Los

|

Other|

* Tiriel
* The Book of Thel
* The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
* The French Revolution
* Visions of the Daughters of Albion
* The Book of Urizen
* The Book of Ahania
* The Book of Los
* The Four Zoas
* Milton
* Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion

The Pickering Manuscript|

* "Auguries of Innocence"
* "The Mental Traveller"

The Rossetti Manuscript|

"Never pain to tell thy love"

Mythology

* Ahania
* Albion
* Beulah
* Bromion
* Enion
* Enitharmon
* Fuzon
* Golgonooza
* Grodna
* Har
* Leutha
* Los
* Luvah
* Orc
* Palamabron
* Spectre
* Tharmas
* Thiriel
* Tiriel
* Urizen
* Urthona
* Utha
* Vala

Art

| Paintings
and prints|

* Relief etching
* Engravings for Original Stories from Real Life
* The Ancient of Days
* Europe Supported by Africa and America
* The Night of Enitharmon's Joy
* Newton
* Nebuchadnezzar
* Illustrations for Night-Thoughts
* Illustrations of The Grave
* The Four and Twenty Elders Casting their Crowns before the Divine Throne
* Illustrations of Paradise Lost
* A Vision of the Last Judgement
* Descriptive Catalogue
* The Great Red Dragon paintings
* Pity
* The Ghost of a Flea
* Agony in the Garden
* Illustrations of On the Morning of Christ's Nativity
* The Wood of the Self-Murderers: The Harpies and the Suicides
* Illustrations of the Book of Job

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Sketches|

* Visionary Heads

Scholarship, in popular culture, and more

| Scholarly works|

* Life of William Blake
* The Works of William Blake: Poetic, Symbolic and Critical
* Fearful Symmetry
* Blake: Prophet Against Empire
* Witness Against the Beast

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Musical|

* Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (1943)
* Ten Blake Songs (1958)
* Songs and Proverbs of William Blake (1965)
* The Lamb (1982)
* Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1998)

Related|

* William Blake in popular culture
* William Blake Archive
* Blake (1983 monologue)
* In Lambeth (1989 play)
* Catherine Blake (wife)
* Ancients

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