Poetry Month-Song of Innocence

Th earlier post about the book with a passage from William Blake reminded me that I done a few calligraphy pieces of his poems in the past. The introduction to Songs of Innocence seems perfect for a beautiful April day.

I believe I may have written the background "Songs of Innocence" with a reed pen inspired by the line "And I made a rural pen." I was a big fan of these sweeping descenders and used them whenever I thought it would be appropriate. And sometimes when it wasn't. Looking at it now, it looks kind of congested and I question what I was thinking in the way I wrote William Blake but adding the attribution is always tricky. I always added it at the end and sometimes too quickly, followed by a "Why did I do that?"

Piping down the valleys wild,
Piping songs of pleasant glee,
On a cloud I saw a child,
And he laughing said to me:

"Pipe a song about a lamb!"
So I piped with merry cheer.
"Piper, pipe that song again."
So I piped: he wept to hear.

"Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe;
Sing thy songs of happy cheer."
So I sung the same again,
While he wept with joy to hear.

"Piper, sit thee down and write
In a book, that all may read."
So he vanished from my sight,
And I plucked a hollow reed,

And I made a rural pen,
And I stained the water clear,
And I wrote my happy songs
Every child may joy to hear.

Here's William Blake's page of the introduction:

You can view all the poems here.