“I asked a thief to steal me a peach:
He turned up his eyes.
I asked a lithe lady to lie her down:
Holy and meek, she cries.

As soon as I went
An angel came.
He winked at the thief
And smiled at the dame—

And without one word said
Had a peach from the tree,
And still as a maid
Enjoyed the lady.”

I Asked a Thief
1790s, Poems from Blake's Notebook (c. 1791-1792)

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William Blake249

English Romantic poet and artist 1757–1827

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