“Pity would be no more
If we did not make somebody Poor;
And Mercy no more could be
If all were as happy as we.”

The Human Abstract, st. 1
1790s, Songs of Experience (1794)

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William Blake249

English Romantic poet and artist 1757–1827

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Disputed

“Pity would be no moreIf we did not make somebody Poor;And Mercy no more could beIf all were as happy as we.”

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William Blake249

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“Pity would be no more
If we did not make somebody Poor;
And Mercy no more could be
If all were as happy as we.”