William Blake, Painter and Poet

by Richard Garnett

The Babylonian Woman on the Seven-headed Beast. From a water-colour drawing by W. Blake. British Museum.

Blake’s conception of the sun may be compared with Dante’s vision of the angels with the cloud:—

Then lifting up mine eyes, as the tears came,

I saw the Angels, like a rain of manna,

In a long flight flying back heavenward;

Having a little cloud in front of them,

After the which they went, and said, “Hosanna!”

And if they had said more, you should have heard.