[Grammar] Auguries of Innocence

[cubezero3]

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

What does William Blake try to express with these words? After reading it over and over again, I still have no idea at all.:shock:

 

[bhaisahab]

What does William Blake try to express with these words? After reading it over and over again, I still have no idea at all.:shock:

He is lamenting that he/we is/are not, any longer, innocent enough to see a whole world, all the wonder of creation in a simple grain of sand, or all the beauty of heaven in a wild flower, or experience the whole of eternity, all that is, has been or ever will be in an hour.

 

[kfredson]

He is lamenting that he/we is/are not, any longer, innocent enough to see a whole world, all the wonder of creation in a simple grain of sand, or all the beauty of heaven in a wild flower, or experience the whole of eternity all that is, has been or ever will be in an hour.

Beautifully stated! Yet I am still left to wonder whether it was a lament or simply a challenge to us poor creatures to see more deeply into the universe's mysteries. After all, as Blake goes on to say,

Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know
Through the world we safely go.
Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine.
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.

Perhaps those words are appropriate for this special day in the year.

 

[bhaisahab]

Beautifully stated! Yet I am still left to wonder whether it was a lament or simply a challenge to us poor creatures to see more deeply into the universe's mysteries. After all, as Blake goes on to say,

Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know
Through the world we safely go.
Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine.
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.

Perhaps those words are appropriate for this special day in the year.

Yes, perhaps there is an exhortation to humanity to see beyond everyday circumstance and to glimpse the reality that lies behind.
P.S. But then again a person could ask "What's all that got to do with the price of potatoes?