| William Blake (1757–1827). The Poetical Works. 1908. | | | | Songs of Experience | | The Little Girl Found |
| | | ALL the night in woe | |
| Lyca’s parents go | |
| Over valleys deep, | |
| While the deserts weep. | |
| |
| Tired and woe-begone, | 5 |
| Hoarse with making moan, | |
| Arm in arm seven days | |
| They trac’d the desert ways. | |
| |
| Seven nights they sleep | |
| Among shadows deep, | 10 |
| And dream they see their child | |
| Starv’d in desert wild. | |
| |
| Pale, thro’ pathless ways | |
| The fancied image strays | |
| Famish’d, weeping, weak, | 15 |
| With hollow piteous shriek. | |
| |
| Rising from unrest, | |
| The trembling woman prest | |
| With feet of weary woe: | |
| She could no further go. | 20 |
| |
| In his arms he bore | |
| Her, arm’d with sorrow sore; | |
| Till before their way | |
| A couching lion lay. | |
| |
| Turning back was vain: | 25 |
| Soon his heavy mane | |
| Bore them to the ground. | |
| Then he stalk’d around, | |
| |
| Smelling to his prey; | |
| But their fears allay | 30 |
| When he licks their hands, | |
| And silent by them stands. | |
| |
| They look upon his eyes | |
| Fill’d with deep surprise; | |
| And wondering behold | 35 |
| A spirit arm’d in gold. | |
| |
| On his head a crown; | |
| On his shoulders down | |
| Flow’d his golden hair. | |
| Gone was all their care. | 40 |
| |
| ‘Follow me,’ he said; | |
| ‘Weep not for the maid; | |
| In my palace deep | |
| Lyca lies asleep.’ | |
| |
| Then they followèd | 45 |
| Where the vision led, | |
| And saw their sleeping child | |
| Among tigers wild. | |
| |
| To this day they dwell | |
| In a lonely dell; | 50 |
| Nor fear the wolfish howl | |
| Nor the lions’ growl. | | | | |
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