William Blake Auguries of Innocence
Variant: 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.
Source: 1800s, Auguries of Innocence (1803), Line 1
Quotes from workAuguries of Innocence
"Auguries of Innocence" is a poem from one of William Blake's notebooks now known as The Pickering Manuscript. It is assumed to have been written in 1803, but was not published until 1863 in the companion volume to Alexander Gilchrist's biography of William Blake. The poem contains a series of paradoxes which speak of innocence juxtaposed with evil and corruption. The poem is 132 lines and has been published with and without breaks that divide the poem into stanzas. An augury is a sign or omen.
“A truth that's told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent.”
William Blake Auguries of Innocence
Source: 1800s, Auguries of Innocence (1803), Line 53
“He who replies to words of doubt
doth put the light of knowledge out.”
William Blake Auguries of Innocence
Source: Auguries of Innocence
