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Home  »  The Poetical Works by William Blake  »  Several Questions Answered

William Blake (1757–1827). The Poetical Works. 1908.

Gnomic Verses

Several Questions Answered

XVII

1
[Eternity]
HE who bends to himself a Joy

Doth the wingèd life destroy;

But he who kisses the Joy as it flies

Lives in Eternity’s sunrise.

2
The look of love alarms,

Because it’s fill’d with fire;

But the look of soft deceit

Shall win the lover’s hire.

3
Soft deceit and idleness,

These are Beauty’s sweetest dress.

4
[The Question answered]
What is it men in women do require?

The lineaments of gratified desire.

What is it women do in men require?

The lineaments of gratified desire.

5
An ancient Proverb
Remove away that black’ning church,

Remove away that marriage hearse,

Remove away that man of blood—

You’ll quite remove the ancient curse.