Welcome to Litsy!

"O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy."

My day off: done some gardening (unusual behaviour!), now sitting in the shade out of the sun ??️? with a light lunch, some Blake poetry and Bowie's Hunky Dory.
I have to admit that my choice of reading was influenced by an excellent #BookmarkMatching opportunity???

Random book from our home library:

📖 Songs of Innocence and of Experience (Illustrated Throughout in Full Colour) by William Blake

#poetrymatters
#snow
@TheSpineView

#wintergames2024 @Liseworks #holidaybookdragons

"O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm.
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy;
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy."

- The Sick Rose

I like faded flowers, though these are starting to get a bit Miss Haversham, so I should probably throw them out now ?

#SchoolSpirit #Apple @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe;
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I water'd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears;
And I sunnéd it with smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright;
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole,
⬇️

#vagabond #poetrymatters @TheSpineView

Clear text of poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43672/the-little-vagabond

I'm a day late and always a dollar short, but I didn't want to miss a chance to talk about the Romantic poets, especially eternal outsider William Blake. It was this or Keats. I really enjoyed KJ Charles' quoting of him in A Seditious Affair, though most of those are from A Marriage of Heaven and Hell, which is a much wilder ride.

#Naturalitsy #Midwintersolace #Fridaynightshare
@Chrissyreadit @thebookhippie @jenniferw88 @alldebooks

#QuotsyOCT21 day 25: flame

I wander thro' each charter'd street,
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow.
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

London by William Blake

#QuotsyOCT21 day 8: gloom

#poetrymatters @TheSpineView
Prompt: Gorge

This poem is a personification of mercy, pity, love and peace. Blake also wrote a poem The Human Abstract that is the companion poem to this one.

I knew of just one poem from Blake and that's Tyger, thanks to an episode of Batman: The Animated Series 🦇 so I was psyched to find this collection on the @SerialReader app.

I loved the second half of the book compared to the first half. I just connected better with it and this has me looking for more of Blake's work.

This is one of my favorite William Blake poems.

#poetrymatters @TheSpineView
#Baby

#back2school #bunnyread @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/54cfyrgOp0yHw5KcaC5CpS?si=n4o1RgX2SX-us6Y5xZfE...

Not surprisingly, a lot of these remind me of Chris! I looked through my 3rd year notes last night & found a bunch of songs I was thinking of using for my body in question assignment so had to add them last minute. And yes, it's fair to say that I had a crush on him!

Chris once played "Single Ladies" by Beyoncé ⬇️

Is this a holy thing to see.
In a rich and fruitful land.
Babes reduced to misery.
Feed with cold and usurious hand?

Is that trembling cry a song?
Can it be a song of joy?
And so many children poor?
It is a land of poverty!

"Holy Thursday" - Songs of Experience

Day 6 #7days7books of books that have changed/influenced me.

Tagging @kaysworld1 if you want to do it

Strangely soothing, and available for free (including full-colour plates) on various websites.

Laughing Song by William Blake.

#poetrymatters #merry

I could have done celebrity #star crushes, but that would have involved #TheChase again, so I decided against it.

Chose this book because the lady inset taught me them, and she's a #star to me.

#ayupaugust @Cinfhen @squirrelbrain

This is more of a 3.5 stars, very interesting to see how Blake could take a concept and take it two completely different directions.

#poetrymatters #divine @TheSpineView

#flowers #Poetrymatters @TheSpineView @LazyDays

I found a poem for #roses in my current read. #poetrymatters @TheSpineView

Church and errands are done. Time for #litsypartyofone! @MrBook @Ambrosnazzy

My #FebruaryTBR. (I‘m not good at sticking to a TBR.) @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88

@kaye
My Litsy name is the same as my blog. It comes from William Blake. Cathedron is a wondrous place which houses shining looms upon which is woven "clothing for the soul divine". Well, I figure that could be a metaphor for putting words on my imaginings and intimations!
Blake's Mrs was called Catherine. My name is Kate.
Sometimes one needs more than a room of one's own: sometimes one has to inhabit a whole other world that doesn't exist.

Some of the #British poets on my shelves. #poetrymatters @LazyDays

@GingerAntics this is the poem I'm talking about - to help I've put the rude lines in capitals! ???

Fun fact: I had to revise these poems for a-level english lit - imagine my horror whilst i was at hospital & all i could remember were the two lines in capitals above! I remember thinking, "I can't recite these lines to anyone who asks what are you reading?!" ?

And all must love the human form
In heathen, Turk, or Jew;
Where Mercy, Love, and #Pity dwell
There God is dwelling too.
"The Divine Image"

#poetrymatters @LazyDays

Day 3 of Books that changed my life - Songs of Innocence and of Experience. This selection of poetry is special to me for 2 reasons! 1) It reminds me of my favourite teacher at upper school & 2) because of reason above I ended up writing my BA dissertation on Blake's poetry and this collection of his poems featured quite heavily!

#booksthatchangedmylife.

Tagging @Katerina @maich and @kaysworld1

O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm.
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy;
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

- "The Sick Rose”

Can I see anothers woe,
And not be in sorrow too.
Can I see anothers grief,
And not seek for kind relief.

- "On Anothers Sorrow”

A touch of Blake in the morning.

Blake‘s poems need no introduction. They were great and reading them in this gorgeous Folio Society edition was delightful!

While shopping for my #2018nonfictionbookexchange match, I stumbled over these beautiful bookmarks, and I just couldn‘t pass them up. I love flowers, and with the quotes from English poets, these bookmarks are perfection 👌

#bookishmail

I‘m really excited about this collection of #Regency poetry. I can‘t wait to read it 👏

#150PnPCoverParty

A new book for my tiny poetry collection. Can‘t wait to sink my teeth into it.

Met my reading goal for the year just in time today!!

To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour. - William Blake

Here's more annotation of Blake! @zsuzsanna_reads just spotted the word 'gothic' lol! If you hadn't guessed by my last post, this book gets 5 ⭐ & a pick!

About 9 years ago I was taking my English Literature A-Level and we studied these poems. Fast forward 3 or 4 years and I am studying Blake again at University, alongside a Literature of Sexuality module. This time, Blake becomes my dissertation topic, & I realise that I had a crush on my (female) English teacher at school. Not surprisingly, this song reminds me of her! #melodicmay #day11 #experienced

I've had this sitting on my iPad since Easter - it seemed a fitting celebration of National Poetry Month (and this poem, among others, of the holiday itself) - and because my focus isn't the greatest today, figured today was as good a day as any to dive into poetry I haven't read since high school lit classes. 💖 #williamblake #songsofinnocence #thelamb

#aprilbookshowers Day 23: Poetry

Modern poetry really isn't my jam, but I do enjoy 19th century British poetry

If there is a "happy place" for a book lover, surely it is NYC's The Strand. If only I could bring home ALL the books.

Love seeketh not itself to please, nor for itself hath any care, but for another gives its ease, and builds a Heaven in Hell's despair.

London
"I wandered through each chartered street
Near where the chartered Thames doth flow
A mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness marks of woe"
If anyone is coming to London go to the top of the Tate modern at night - the best view of the city.

Told my wife if she pulled through on her homework the other day without falling asleep that I would buy her any book series she wanted, at any price. Since she's an addict, I know she hasn't forgotten, but I don't think she has thought about when that'll be happening.
#today #shhh

Pretty pretty new bookish bookmarks from Obvious State. Super smitten! Met the lovely people at BEA and finally got our order together. Small, tired from a long day, squee!