William Blake (
1757-
1827)
(from
Songs of Innocence)
When voices of children are heard on the green
And laughing is heard on the hill,
My
heart is at rest within my breast,
And
everything else is still.
"Then come home my children, the sun is gone down
And the dews of night arise;
Come, come, leave off play, and let us away
Till the morning appears in the skies."
"No, no, let us play, for it is yet day
And we cannot go to sleep;
Besides, in the sky, the little birds fly,
And the hills are all covered with
sheep."
"Well, well, go and play till the
light fades away
And then go home to bed."
The little ones leaped and shouted and laughed
And all the hills echoed.
(from
Songs of Experience)
When the voices of children are heard on the green
And whisperings are in the
dale,
The days of my youth rise fresh in my mind,
My face turns green and pale.
Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,
And the dews of night arise;
Your spring and your day are wasted in play,
And your winter and
night in disguise.